Crime for the Holidays
by LuckyLadybug
Summary: **COMPLETED WITH CHAPTERS 19 AND 20! PLEASE READ AND LEAVE A NICE REVIEW!** Strange shoplifters, a mysterious little girl on the run, and some very dangerous criminals . . . This is one Christmas season the Yu-Gi-Oh! gang will never forget!!
1. A Wild Start

Yu-Gi-Oh!  
Crime for the Holidays  
By Lucky_Ladybug  
  
  
Notes: As always, the YGO characters aren't mine!! Any character that you don't recognize as a YGO character, however, is probably not one and is one I made up ^_~ This is not yaoi. I hope y'all enjoy! ^^  
  
  
"Whoa, Tea, this is where you're working during the holidays?" Tristan exclaimed, gesturing wildly at the aisles and aisles of the Domino City Mall's toys and electronics store.  
  
"That's right," Tea said proudly.  
  
"Wow, Tea, this place is a kid's dream!" Yugi declared. "It looks like they've got just about everything here!"  
  
"Hey, I even like the place," Joey grinned, playing with a remote-controled car.  
  
Tristan draped his arm around Joey's shoulders and grinned obnoxiously. "Hey, we all know you're just a big kid, Joey!"  
  
"Heeeey!!" Joey snorted in vexation.  
  
Yugi and Bakura chuckled, but Tea leaned back against the counter, looking worried.  
  
"Is something wrong, Tea?" Yugi asked, concerned.  
  
Tea started. "Oh, uh . . . . No, everything's fine," she said, trying to smile. "It's just the holiday stress."  
  
"Actually, it's more than that," a new voice said, and a grumpy-looking woman in her twenties came out from the back room. She had fluffy black hair that came to just below her shoulders, sharp, flashing green eyes, and was wearing the employee's uniform—which consisted of a red shirt and white slacks. "This job isn't all fun and games, especially with the shenanigans that go on around here."  
  
Yugi and the others were startled. "Excuse me?" Yugi said, blinking.  
  
The woman shrugged. "The shoplifting. Didn't Tea tell you?"  
  
"Maureen!" Tea scolded.  
  
"Shoplifting?!" the other teens exclaimed.  
  
"You didn't mention anything about that, Tea," Joey said.  
  
Tea sighed. "Well, that's because . . ." She paused. "Because I don't want you guys to get involved in another mystery!" she said finally.  
  
"Hey, a shoplifting case doesn't sound all that dangerous to me," Joey shrugged.  
  
"Well, it could be," Tea replied, crossing her arms.  
  
"Tell us more about the shoplifting, Tea," Yugi said. "Haven't the police been investigating?"  
  
"Well, they have, but they can't figure out what's going on," Tea sighed. "No one can. Lately, we've been having more shoplifting problems than usual, and the security cameras can't seem to pick up on how it's happening."  
  
"That's terrible!" Yugi exclaimed.  
  
"I feel so sorry for my boss Mr. Thorton," Tea said. "He's completely stressed, what with the usual holiday pressure and now this!"  
  
"I can imagine," Yugi said, shaking his head. "Tea, I . . . we do want to help." Joey, Tristan, and Bakura nodded in agreement.  
  
Tea was silent. "I would never forgive myself if something happened to any of you," she said softly. On the last case, they had nearly lost both Yugi and Seto Kaiba to deadly laser fire. Tea blamed herself for Seto being shot down since she had been with him at the time and since he had been shot protecting her. The boys had miraculously returned to life, but Tea never wanted to come that close to losing them again.  
  
"Hey, we'll be fine!" Joey grinned. "What kinda friends would we be if we didn't try investigatin'?"  
  
Tea slowly smiled. "You're the best friends anyone could ever have," she said.  
  
"So, what do we do first?" Joey asked.  
  
Tea wasn't sure how to answer. She was touched that they wanted to help, but she didn't want them to get hurt. "I don't know," she said hesitantly, "maybe we should just let the police handle this one on their own."  
  
"Nah, it's cool, Tea," Joey replied. "We're not afraid of gettin' bashed around."  
  
Yugi, Tristan, and Bakura nodded in agreement. "That's right," Bakura declared. "The holiday season is all about love and kindness . . ."  
  
". . . And we want to help get this shoplifting problem resolved so that you and everyone here won't have to be worrying and you can just enjoy the holidays," Tristan interrupted and finished.  
  
"If both we and the police work on the case, it should get solved that much faster," Yugi chimed in.  
  
Maureen, who'd been listening to everything, spoke up now. "It's not just shoplifting that's the problem," she said. "There's also been the sabotage going on."  
  
"Sabotage?!" Tristan repeated.  
  
"Maureen!" Tea said again in frustration. The more Yugi and the others thought that she was in danger, the more they'd want to help out, and she absolutely did not want to get them into danger.  
  
"Has anyone been hurt?" Yugi asked in horror.  
  
"Not yet," Maureen said.  
  
"Thank goodness," Tea added.  
  
"But someone could've been," Maureen said grouchily. "Heavy cases and metal racks have fallen over without warning, the electronic toys have come alive and chased us, and . . ."  
  
"Maureen, you've really said enough!" Tea exclaimed.  
  
"Sounds like a ghost to me," Joey said, blinking.  
  
"Well, whatever it is, I wish it'd just stop!" Maureen grumped, crossing her arms. "We'll never get any work done as long as it keeps bothering us!"  
  
"What kinds of things are being stolen?" Yugi asked now.  
  
"Anything the shoplifters can get their hands on," Maureen replied wearily, "but they seem to be especially fond of stuffed animals. What I can't figure out is, How do they keep smuggling them out of here?!"  
  
Before anyone could answer, a horrible moan came from the Employees Only area.  
  
"What's that?!" Joey gasped.  
  
"Mr. Thorton!" Tea exclaimed, running through the door. Yugi and the others followed without a moment's hesitation and Maureen didn't even try to stop them.  
  
Tea went up to a door marked "Burt Thorton" and knocked. "Mr. Thorton?" she called.  
  
"Oh, come in, Tea," a voice called back in a worn-out tone.  
  
Quickly Tea opened the door and she and the others went in. "Mr. Thorton, are you alright?" the girl asked worriedly.  
  
Burt Thorton, a plump, balding man with pale gray eyes, looked up from his desk, which was cluttered with all sorts of various odd objects. He was squeezing a couple of rubber stress balls in his hands so tightly that Joey wondered why they didn't burst. What was left of his hair was going wildly in all directions, and a comb was stuck stubbornly in half of it. "Oh, Tea, I've been calculating up the money I've lost since this shoplifting problem started," he wailed, "and it's just terrible!" He handed her a sheet of paper.  
  
Tea stared at it in confusion, and the four boys crowded around to see as well. "Mr. Thorton, this is a receipt from Marcie's Magic Shop!" Tea exclaimed.  
  
"What?" Mr. Thorton grabbed the paper back. "Oh . . . yes. . . . I had to stock up on lucky rabbit's feet and horseshoes," he sighed.  
  
The boys stared at him. "Huh?!" Joey said finally.  
  
Mr. Thorton didn't even seem to notice the newcomers. "But they're not doing their job!" he continued. "Things are still being stolen!" He rummaged through the mess on his desk and eventually found what he was looking for. "Here!" he said, thrusting it at Tea, "look at this!"  
  
Everyone crowded around once again. This time Tea was holding the list of stolen items and what they had cost Mr. Thorton.  
  
"Whoa, Maureen wasn't kidding," Tristan remarked. "More than half the stolen items are some kind of stuffed animals!"  
  
"Freaky!" Joey declared, scratching his head.  
  
"According to this, the burglaries started almost exactly two weeks ago," Yugi mused, pointing to the date of the first shoplifting, "on the Monday before Thanksgiving."  
  
"That's right," Mr. Thorton nodded. He paused, blinking at the four boys. "Who are you and why exactly are you in my office?" he exclaimed in confusion.  
  
"Oh . . . it's alright, Mr. Thorton," Tea assured him. "These are the friends I was telling you about."  
  
Mr. Thorton nodded absent-mindedly, his mind already drifting back to the problems at hand.  
  
"We wanna help catch the robbers," Joey announced. "We're amateur detectives, and we're pretty darn good if I do say so myself!" He grinned.  
  
Mr. Thorton was twisting a old piece of lettuce around in his hand. "Right now, I'd be willing to accept help from the Man in the Moon!" he declared.  
  
"Mr. Thorton, do you have any idea who might be doing this?" Yugi asked.  
  
"None at all," the man replied, shaking his head. The lettuce he was holding crumbled into confetti on his lap. He didn't even seem to notice. "I'm cursed!" he moaned. "Cursed!!"  
  
The door opened and Seto Kaiba came in. "Mr. Thorton . . ." he began, but was immediately cut off.  
  
"Kaiba! Hey, what're you doin' here?!" Joey asked in confusion. He grinned mischievously. "I never thought you'd be trying to reconnect with your childhood." He picked up a rubber duckie on Mr. Thorton's desk and squeaked it at Seto.  
  
"Don't be ridiculous, Wheeler." Seto glared at the blonde boy—and the rubber duckie—in annoyance.  
  
"I told you, I'm not going to sell!" Mr. Thorton said stubbornly.  
  
"It would be in your best interest to do so, Mr. Thorton," Seto replied in his smooth businessman tone. "What with your financial problems and . . ."  
  
"That property belongs to the Thorton family, and it's not for sale at any price!" Mr. Thorton snapped.  
  
"Would someone please explain what's going on here?!" Tea yelled.  
  
Everyone turned to look at her. "This young man wants to buy some property across town that I own," Mr. Thorton said, standing up and sending tiny flakes of lettuce all over the floor. "But I'm not selling!" He pushed Seto gently toward the door. "Now, I would appreciate it if you would all leave me to wallow in my misery!" he said overdramatically.  
  
Seto raised an eyebrow at him.  
  
Yugi and the others had just finished explaining to him about the strange things that had been happening there when suddenly a high-pitched scream came from the front of the store.  
  
"Now what?!" Joey exclaimed.  
  
"Maureen!" Tea replied, and they dashed out to find out what was wrong. Mr. Thorton followed, looking apprehensive.  
  
Maureen was standing by the front counter, shaking. "Some weird masked man shoved me aside and ran off!"  
  
"Don't worry, we'll get 'em!" Joey yelled, and he, Tristan, Yugi, and Bakura all split up to look, leaving Tea and Seto at the counter with Maureen and Mr. Thorton.  
  
"Maureen, do you know where this man came from?" Tea asked.  
  
Maureen shook her head. "No. He was just suddenly here!"  
  
"Have you called the police?" Tea wanted to know.  
  
Again Maureen shook her head no. "I guess I should," she said slowly.  
  
"You do it and you die!" a nasty voice growled from up on the small second floor, which was enclosed about by a wooden railing. They looked up to see a muscular man dressed in black and wearing a ski mask holding a wooden packing crate threateningly.  
  
"What are you doing?!" Maureen demanded.  
  
"Why in you in my store?!" Mr. Thorton yelled.  
  
The man didn't answer and instead threw the crate down at them, forcing them to scatter.  
  
Seto looked up at him angrily. "What is it you want?" he demanded.   
  
The man turned and disappeared down an aisle. Seto growled in frustration, then spotted the stairs leading up to the second floor and climbed them determinedly. Without warning the man leaped out and tried to attack the boy from behind, but Seto whirled around and punched him.  
  
Tea watched the fight, her eyes wide. Maureen had dived into the backroom with Mr. Thorton to call the police, and Tea prayed that they'd arrive before long.  
  
Seto was getting the upper hand, but the man didn't seem overly worried. Instead he dove over near the railing and Seto followed. In a split-second, the man had moved away and he shoved Seto at the railing, hard. The boy grunted in pain and then gasped as the railing snapped, sending him crashing to the floor below.  
  
Tea screamed and rushed over to him, feeling sick. "Kaiba? Are you hurt?!"  
  
The boy was sprawled in a supine position on the carpeted floor, a blank expression on his face. Tea was horrified as she looked into his unfocused, glazed-over eyes. "Kaiba!! Speak to me!!" she pleaded. She could see the boy's chest was rising and falling and heard his slightly raspy breathing, so she knew he was alive—but what if he'd been seriously injured? What if he'd broken his spine or his neck? "Kaiba, why won't you answer me?" she cried. "Can't you see me? Can't you hear me?! Somebody, help!!" she screamed.  
  
"Tea? What's wrong?" Joey called, running over from where he'd been searching. "Yugi said that guy escaped through the upstairs exit into the mall. We tried to follow him, but he had too much of a head start . . ." The Brooklyn boy trailed off. "Oh man! What happened to Kaiba?!"  
  
"He . . . he fell off the balcony and now he isn't moving!" Tea replied, shaking.  
  
"You mean he got knocked unconscious?" Joey asked, kneeling next to the other boy.  
  
Tea shook her head. "I don't know!" she cried. "His eyes are open, but he's not seeing anything!"  
  
"Oh man," Joey exclaimed, waving a hand in front of Seto's glassy eyes. He didn't get a response. "Kaiba! What the heck's wrong with ya?!" the blonde boy exploded in frustration.  
  
"Kaiba . . . please!" Tea wailed. "Answer us!!"  
  
Without warning, Seto rose up with a groan, rubbing his head.  
  
"Man, Kaiba, you were seriously freakin' us out!" Joey declared.  
  
"Are you alright?" Tea asked worriedly.  
  
Seto looked up, and both of the other teens were relieved to see his blue eyes focus on each of them in turn. "I'm fine," he said slowly.  
  
"What was goin' on with you, man?" Joey demanded.  
  
"Couldn't you hear us?" Tea added.  
  
Seto thought about that for a bit. He *had* heard them, but only very vaguely, as if they were far away. He had hit the floor with such force that he had been completely stunned for several moments, unable to move or even think clearly. "I heard you," he said finally, "but I was incapable of answering." He looked over at the broken part of the railing that had landed beside him and glared at it.  
  
"Man, that must've been one cheap railing," Joey remarked, shaking his head.  
  
Seto picked it up and looked at it, shaking his head. "No. That snake pushed me against it on purpose. He knew I'd fall through." He pointed to the edge, which was smooth and clean—not rough and jagged, as it would be if it had just broken accidentally. "Someone tampered with it." 


	2. Mara

"Tampered with it?!" Tea gasped. "Alright, that's it! Let's let the police handle this! We're not qualified for this kind of thing!"  
  
At that moment, it seemed that everyone burst in.  
  
"Oh my, oh my!" Mr. Thorton cried, seeing Seto still sitting on the floor with the broken piece of railing next to him. "What's happened?!"  
  
"Yeah!" Tristan added as he, Bakura, and Yugi ran in. "Tell us!"  
  
"Kaiba was pushed off the balcony!" Joey announced.  
  
"Oh dear . . . oh dear . . . is he alright? Oh, please, Mr. Kaiba! Don't sue me!!" Mr. Thorton begged, wringing his hands.  
  
Seto grunted in reply as he stood up. "I trust you didn't realize the railing had been tampered with?" he asked.  
  
Mr. Thorton stared blankly at him, then grabbed his hair and wailed, "It's the curse!!"  
  
"Excuse me, but would someone mind telling us what's been happening here?"  
  
Everyone looked up to see two police officers standing in the doorway. Quickly the teens took turns explaining about the strange man and the events surrounding his appearance.  
  
"This has definitely been toyed with," the first officer said grimly, looking at the broken balcony railing. "It didn't just fall apart for no reason."  
  
"Are you certain you're alright, Mr. Kaiba?" the second officer asked, concerned.  
  
Seto nodded curtly. "I'm fine. But if my presence here is no longer needed, I will take my leave."  
  
"You may go, Mr. Kaiba," the first officer said, "but first, can you tell us about the man? Did you notice anything . . . unusual about him?"  
  
Seto paused, thinking. "He walked with an odd limp," he said finally.  
  
"That's true," Tea agreed, remembering. "But even with his injury, he could still run really fast."  
  
The officer nodded. "This is an excellent clue."  
  
Seto turned to leave. "I want to be notified of this man's capture," he requested.  
  
"Of course, Mr. Kaiba," the officer agreed.  
  
The others said goodbye to the young businessman and he soon departed. The officers interviewed Mr. Thorton briefly and then they departed as well.  
  
"Oh, this is terrible!" Mr. Thorton wailed. "I'll probably get slapped with a lawsuit tomorrow!"  
  
"I'm sure Kaiba won't do that," Yugi said kindly.  
  
"I'll be sued blind! I should have sold the property while I had the chance!" the man moaned. The comb was now hanging from his hair, and he still didn't seem to notice. "I'm ruined!! Ruined, I tell you!"  
  
Tea knew it was useless to try consoling him when he got like this. "Come on, guys," she said with a sigh, "let's see if we can clean up some of this mess." She indicated the merchandise that had been knocked over during the fight.  
  
While they picked up fallen dolls and action figures, they discussed the case.  
  
"I think we should search every square inch of this mall!" Joey declared. "That creep might still be hangin' around somewhere!"  
  
"If he is, I'm sure the security team will find him," Tea said firmly. "Let's just forget about solving a new mystery, you guys. The police are trained for this kind of thing. We're not!"  
  
"Yeah, so?" Joey said airily. "Police officers can get hurt too, you know. Just 'cause they're trained don't mean they won't get into any trouble."  
  
"That's true," Bakura nodded.  
  
"But what could we really do that the police aren't already doing?" Tea said in frustration.  
  
"Not a lot, I suppose," Bakura said slowly, "but it's like Yugi said—the more people working on the case, the sooner it can get solved."  
  
"Yeah, I guess," Tea said slowly, but she didn't sound convinced.  
****  
Seto walked down the dark, snow-covered streets of Domino City in irritation. He had not had to worry about criminals chasing him for two or three weeks now, ever since they had defeated Carmichael and his goons back in November. Gee, I was just starting to think maybe things were going back to normal around here, he said to himself cynically.  
  
At that moment, an ear-piercing shriek rended the silence. Seto stopped short, startled, then turned and dashed down the nearby alley from whence the sound had come. He couldn't see anything at first, but then a little girl ran out of the shadows and grabbed his trenchcoat. "Help me!!" she cried. "They're after me!!"  
  
"Huh? Who's after you, kid?" Seto asked, but then he heard a low, threatening voice from deep in the dark alley.  
  
"Give the kid to us and maybe we'll let you live."  
  
Seto put his arms around the sobbing child protectively. "Why should I let you have her?" he demanded.  
  
"Because if you don't . . ."  
  
". . . we'll leave your broken body here in this place for some unfortunate soul to find!" a second voice finished.  
  
Seto glared. "I'm not afraid of you," he said stonily.  
  
"You will be!" the first man hissed, reaching out his hand to grab the girl. "So just let us take the kid now while you're still in one piece!"  
  
Seto snatched the man's hand and wrenched it away. "No one orders me around," he growled. "And no one is taking this kid!"  
  
"You're gonna regret ever crossing us!" the second voice said, and Seto was suddenly grabbed from behind. Undaunted, the boy elbowed the man hard in the stomach and then pressed a pressure point on his arm. The man let him go, gasping in pain.  
  
"You idiot!" the other man snapped. "I'll get him!" He lunged at Seto, but the teen was too quick for him. Before he knew what had happened, he was sprawled on the ground and Seto had placed his foot on the man's chest.  
  
"Had enough yet?" Seto asked.  
  
"Hey . . . you're just a kid yourself!" the man said in surprise. His eyes narrowed. "I'm not about to be defeated by some teenage brat!!" He grabbed Seto's leg and pulled him to the ground. "Say your prayers!"  
  
The girl, trying to hide around the side of an old building, watched in horror, her bright eyes shining with worry.  
  
Seto got to his feet and used a karate kick on the man, throwing him across the alley. The other man, still reeling from the pain Seto had dealt him, didn't seem to notice. Seto looked him over for only a second and then went back to the girl. "Come on, kid. I've gotta get you away from here." He scooped the child into his arms and then dashed off out of the alley. The frightened girl wrapped her arms around Seto's neck, not wanting to be separated from her rescuer.  
  
Before long Seto had reached his limo and he threw the door open wildly. "Drive, now!" he yelled to the chauffeur as he climbed in, still holding the girl. The chauffeur complied, staring at the little newcomer confusedly through the rearview mirror.  
  
Seto released the girl from his grasp and handed her the seatbelt, which she took shakily. "Now tell me, why were those men after you?" he asked.  
  
The girl shook her head. "They wanted to get me so I couldn't try to rescue my mommy!"  
  
Seto blinked. "Alright, kid, back up. Who are you, who were they, and why do they have your mother?"  
  
"I'm Mara," the girl replied slowly, "and I don't know why they took my mommy, but they did, and I'm all alone!" Her words ran together as she broke into sobs.  
  
Seto could see that she was in no condition to explain things to him right now. "It's alright, kid," he said gently, "don't try to talk. Just relax. I'll take you to my place until we can get this mess sorted out." Most people found Seto Kaiba aloof and distant, but he did have a soft spot for kids—especially sweet, innocent ones.  
  
Mara nodded forlornly and looked at the floor.  
  
Seto studied the girl curiously. She had lavender hair that came to just above her shoulders, bright blue eyes (which were now very sad), and a red ribbon in her hair. She was wearing a T-shirt with overalls—not exactly good attire for December weather—and was playing idly with a locket around her neck. She didn't look older than five, and certainly not older than six. Where could she have come from?  
  
Before long, they arrived back at the Kaiba manor and Seto gently laid a hand on Mara's shoulder. "We're here, kid," he told her. She looked up at him and got out of the limo without saying a word. Seto led her up the walkway and up to the porch, where he opened the front door.  
  
Velma was dusting when he came in with Mara, and the maid blinked in surprise. "Mr. Kaiba, who's this little lady?" she asked.  
  
"This is Mara," Seto replied. He knelt next to the little girl. "This is Velma," he said. "Go with her now and she'll get you something to eat."  
  
"Are you gonna help me find my mommy?" Mara asked.  
  
"Of course I will, kid," Seto said kindly.  
****  
After a while, Mara found Seto in his home office and peeked in shyly.  
  
Seto, sensing he was being watched, looked up. "Come in, kid," he said gently.  
  
Mara slowly walked in and stood in front of Seto's desk. "Thank you for saving me," she said softly.  
  
Seto smiled and came out from behind his desk. "Are you feeling any better, kid?" he asked.  
  
"A little," Mara replied.  
  
They walked over to the couch and sat down. "Now, can you tell me your story?" Seto queried.  
  
Mara nodded. She spoke in a soft, slow tone, and Seto could tell that it hurt her to talk about this. "Well, it started a couple of months ago, when Daddy disappeared," she began, again absent-mindedly playing with the locket. "He's some kind of secret agent, and he goes around catching lots of bad people. We started getting these weird phone calls and letters in the mail after he'd been gone for about a week. Mommy didn't want to say anything, but I could tell she was awful worried! Then about three weeks ago, we suddenly packed up and ran away! Mommy said we were going to visit Grandma and Grandpa, but . . . we never got there." Here Mara paused. She took a deep breath, then continued her tale. "We were on a train when these awful men came and ambushed us! All the lights went out and I could hear all kinds of screaming and yelling. I was calling for Mommy, but she didn't come. Then when the lights came on, she wasn't there!" Mara opened the locket and stared at a picture inside. "There were some more of those men, and they started chasing me! I went and hid in the baggage car until the train stopped, and then I had to hurry and get off!" She paused, then took a small piece of paper out of the locket. "I think Mommy knew those bad people would come after us," she said finally. "She told me that if any men ever started to chase me that I should run away as fast as I could until I found someone who could help! And . . . she gave me this." Mara held up the paper. "It looks like some funny math problem, but I don't think that's what it is."  
  
Seto took the paper and stared at it.  
  
3550 2N 6792E  
2468 01937  
  
"I think you're right, kid," he said finally. "I'm certain it has nothing to do with math. Did she tell you what you were supposed to do with this?"  
  
Mara shook her head. "She didn't have time. As soon as she gave it to me, those awful men came on board the train!" The little girl had been trying to keep herself composed, but now she burst into tears.  
  
Seto laid a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, kid," he said softly. "We'll find your parents. I promise."  
  
The little girl looked up at him, trying to blink away her tears. Suddenly she smiled and threw her arms around Seto in a grateful embrace. Seto was surprised. He wasn't used to such affection, except from his brother Mokuba.  
  
"Hey, it's getting late, kid," he said finally. "You'd better get to bed. Velma will show you where the spare rooms are. Tomorrow I'll see what I can do to find your parents."  
  
Mara nodded and scampered out of the room.  
  
Seto sighed and leaned back against the couch. What a strange day. He had dealt once again with the high-strung Mr. Thorton, been thrown off a balcony, and now had rescued a little girl and was on a quest to find her family.  
  
He had just started to unwillingly doze when the door opened again and Mokuba came in. "Big brother?"  
  
Seto started and came back to complete awareness. "Hey, Mokuba," he smiled, and the younger boy came over and climbed onto the couch with him.  
  
"Velma said there's some girl here," Mokuba said, looking puzzled.  
  
Seto ruffled his brother's hair. "There is," he replied, and he told Mokuba what had happened over the last couple of hours.  
  
"Do you really think you can find her parents, Seto?" Mokuba asked, blinking worriedly.  
  
"I don't know, kid, but I'm going to try," Seto said.  
  
"Gosh, that must be awful for her, to be without her parents and not even know if they're okay," Mokuba remarked softly. He looked up at his brother with his expressive gray eyes. "I know how horrible I'd feel if anything happened to you, Seto," he whispered, hugging the older boy.  
  
"Don't worry, Mokuba," Seto said tenderly, enfolding his brother in his arms. "We'll always be together. I'll make sure of it."  
  
Mokuba sighed happily and soon fell asleep in Seto's arms. Seto watched the little boy for a while, remembering how much they'd been through together, and then he dozed off as well.  
****  
Yugi was preparing to go to sleep himself when the phone rang abruptly. "Hello, Muto residence," he said, wondering who on earth would be calling so late and hoping that nothing was wrong with anyone.  
  
"Is this Yugi?" a muffled voice growled.  
  
"Yes, it is," Yugi said with a blink of surprise.  
  
"Quit your investigation if you wanna stay in this life," the voice hissed, and Yugi heard a click.  
  
"Who is this?" Yugi demanded, but the person had hung up. 


	3. Is This for Real?

Note: You can thank Ieyre for the comment about Pegasus in this chapter ^^ LOL, that was one hilarious visual image she gave me with her last review! ^_^  
  
  
Yugi was worried when he went to bed that night. He was still worried (perhaps even more so) when he woke up the next morning. They hadn't actually started investigating anything yet, and already someone was threatening them!  
  
When he went out to the kitchen, Grampa Muto was looking at him worriedly. "Hi, Grampa!" Yugi greeted him.  
  
Grampa Muto nodded. "Good morning, Yugi," he said, sitting down at the table. He paused. "Yugi, I happened to accidentally overhear that strange call last night," he said slowly. "I had gone to answer the telephone, but then I discovered that you already had. I was about to hang up when I heard the caller's ominous message." He looked into the boy's eyes. "Yugi, I am very worried about the safety of you and the others."  
  
"I know, Grampa," Yugi replied softly. "I am, too."  
  
Grampa Muto sighed. "I wish you wouldn't keep getting involved in these mysteries, Yugi, but . . ." He smiled. "I'm very proud of you, always wanting to do everything you can to help others."  
  
Yugi smiled back, but before he could answer, the telephone rang. "Hello, Muto residence," he greeted, picking up the receiver.  
  
"Hey, Yug." It was Joey. "Did you hear the news?"  
  
"'News'?" Yugi repeated, suddenly feeling his stomach knot up. What had happened now?  
  
"That Thorton guy's been robbed again!" Joey announced.  
  
Yugi blinked. "What?!"  
  
"Yeah, someone took a couple of wild cat plushies right out from under his nose!" Yugi was sure that Joey was shaking his head in disbelief as he said this. "I'm thinkin' that after school, we should go over there and see if we can't crack this crazy case."  
  
"Sounds good to me," Yugi agreed, and they hung up shortly afterwards.  
****  
Mara woke up that morning in a soft, warm bed and couldn't remember where she was at first, but she knew she felt warm and safe. She smiled happily as she recalled the events of the previous evening.  
  
Slowly she got up and walked to the window. It had snowed during the night and everything was covered in a blanket of white.  
  
She was on what appeared to be the top floor of the mansion, and she looked around in awe. Who would've imagined that she would ever wind up in a place like this?  
  
Mara clicked open her locket and now stared sadly at the pictures of her parents. She prayed that the boy who'd rescued her really would be able to find them.  
  
A soft knock came at the door. "Miss Mara?" the maid—Velma—called.  
  
"I'm here," Mara replied.  
  
The door opened. "How're you feeling today, honey?" Velma asked.  
  
"Okay." Mara paused. "Is that boy here?"  
  
"Mr. Kaiba?" Velma shook her head. "He had to go off to school, but he said for me to entertain you until he got back and could start helpin' you find your parents." She held the door open wider. "So . . . would you like some breakfast?"  
  
Mara nodded and followed Velma out the door.  
****  
At school, Seto was trying to decipher the strange mixture of numbers and letters on the note Mara had given him the night before. So far, he couldn't seem to make heads or tails out of it.  
  
"Hey Kaiba!"  
  
The blue-eyed boy looked up. Joey was standing in front of his desk, grinning mischievously. "Soo, what're you workin' on there?" Joey asked, trying to get a look at the note.  
  
Seto clamped his hand over it. "None of your concern, Wheeler."  
  
"What is it, some top secret plans for your latest invention?" Joey persisted, trying to lift up Seto's hand to see the paper.  
  
Seto could feel that his temper was about to snap. "I told you, it's not your concern. Now go on back to your desk before I really get angry."  
  
Joey backed up, looking frustrated. "Man, you're in a good mood today," he said sarcastically.  
  
Seto didn't answer and instead put the note in a book to conceal it from curious eyes while he continued to puzzle over it. What could it mean? Was it a code for some secret location where the answers to the mystery might be found? Or maybe some chemical formula? When he got home, he'd try running it through his computer and see if she could help him figure it out.  
****  
"Man, I still can't believe someone would be stealin' plushies," Tristan remarked later as he, Yugi, Joey, Bakura, and Tea walked to the mall after school. "That just sounds too weird to really be true!"  
  
"It does seem rather odd," Bakura said slowly.  
  
"Yeah, especially when there's all those expensive electronics they could take instead," Joey put in. "What kind of crook would find stuffed animals more appealin' than radio-controlled cars or video games?"  
  
"Pegasus?" Tristan grinned.  
  
"Be serious," Tea sighed.  
  
"I am being serious," Tristan replied. Yugi and Bakura chuckled.  
  
Before long the five teens had arrived at the Domino City Mall and were wandering through the long corridors, heading for Toys, Etc. and weaving their way through the large crowds of holiday shoppers.  
  
"Hey! Hey guys!"  
  
Everyone turned around and saw Mai coming out of a clothing store and waving to them.  
  
"Mai!" Yugi smiled.  
  
The blonde girl came over to them, carrying several shopping bags full of various expensive items. "So, are you catching up on your Christmas shopping?" she asked, then turned to smirk at Joey. "I figured you'd probably procrastinate until the last possible minute, Joey!"  
  
"Heeey, I always get my shoppin' done on time!" Joey retorted. "But actually, right now we're trying to solve the mystery of the Purloined Plushies," the boy stated.  
  
Mai stepped back and blinked. "Someone stole your toys?" she said slowly. Yugi, Tristan, Tea, and Bakura all had to laugh.  
  
Joey fumed. "No!!!" he yelled. People passing by turned to look. "Someone's been shopliftin' plushies from Toys, Etc., and we're tryin' to find out who!!"  
  
"Well, that makes sense . . . I think." Mai tossed her long hair. "A new mystery, huh?"  
  
Yugi nodded. "That's right."  
  
"Well, I must admit, I'm curious." Mai set the shopping bags on the floor and crossed her arms. "Who would want to steal plush toys?"  
  
"We can't imagine," Tea replied with a sigh.  
  
"But we're headin' for Toys, Etc. right now to find out!" Joey declared, slamming his fist into his palm.  
  
"This I've gotta see," Mai smiled, inviting herself along. Of course, no one had any serious objection to that.  
  
Maureen looked up when the six teens walked in. "What's with the convention?" she asked dryly. "I have a feeling that you five aren't customers." She pointed to those following Tea.  
  
"Hey, you're right!" Joey grinned. "We're here to talk about the case!"  
  
"Still playing Sherlock, huh?" Maureen rolled her eyes. "Fine. Just don't get in my way."  
  
"Oooh, touchy!" Joey declared. Maureen ignored him.  
  
"Were you the one who discovered that the stuffed animals were missing?" Yugi asked.  
  
Maureen nodded. "I found them gone when I first came in to get the place ready to open."  
  
"You mean they must've disappeared in the middle of the night?!" Joey said in disbelief.  
  
"Or maybe before we closed last night," Maureen replied. "There was a lot of commotion, what with that creepy guy barging in and then throwing your friend off the balcony like he did."  
  
Tea shuddered in remembrance.  
  
"Wait a minute," Mai interrupted. "Someone fell off the balcony?!"  
  
Yugi nodded grimly. "Kaiba did."  
  
"Is he hurt?" Mai asked, realizing that she didn't see the blue-eyed boy anywhere around.  
  
"He's okay," Yugi told her. "I'm not sure where he is now. I don't think he wants to get involved in a new mystery."  
  
"I don't blame him," Mai exclaimed.  
  
"I don't get it," Joey said suddenly, shaking his head. "Why would someone go to all the trouble to steal plushies?!"  
  
"If you can tell me, then we'll both know." Maureen turned to a box on the counter and started taping a fresh strand of garland across the front window. "Now, if you'll excuse us, Tea and I have to redecorate the store. That creep yesterday destroyed a lot of the things we had hung around." She paused. "Unless, of course, you want to help," she said, raising an eyebrow.  
  
Joey shrugged. "Well, heck, sure. Maybe you can tell us more about these purloined plushies," he suggested, pulling out a string of multi-colored Christmas lights.  
  
Maureen handed Tea a Nativity set to display in the window. "There's not a lot to tell," she replied. "They weren't anything special—just a snow leopard and a Siberian tiger like those over there." She pointed to some plushies on top of a shelf.  
  
"Man, those are pretty big," Tristan remarked. "How could someone just walk off with those and not even be noticed?!"  
  
Maureen shook her head. "I have no clue."  
  
"Perhaps they smuggled them out the back in packing crates," Bakura suggested.  
  
"That's possible," Tea agreed.  
  
"But what about that creepy guy?" Mai spoke up. "From what you guys have told me, I have a hard time picturing him coming in to steal stuffed animals. It sounds more like breaking people in half is what he does for a living!"  
  
"I'm afraid you're probably right, Mai," Yugi said with a sigh.  
  
Joey finished hanging the Christmas lights in the other window and stepped back to admire his work. Suddenly his eyes went wide. "What the . . ." He bent down to the floor.  
  
"Joey, what are you doing?!" Mai demanded.  
  
"I stepped on somethin'," Joey replied, "and here it is!" He held up a shiny, blue-tinted, circular object.  
  
"What *is* that?!" Tristan exclaimed.  
  
"It's the eye from a stuffed animal," Tea informed them, taking it from Joey and turning it around and around.  
  
"Well, it's not much to go on," Yugi sighed, "but it is a clue."  
  
Joey took it back from Tea and slipped it into his pocket. The teens and Maureen continued to decorate the store for Christmas when abruptly a low growl startled them all.  
  
"Was that your stomach, Joey?" Mai asked only half-jokingly.  
  
"No, it wasn't!" Joey said defensively.  
  
"I think it's coming this way," Tea said grimly as the growl sounded again, only louder this time.  
  
"Yeah, but just what's coming this way?!" Tristan exclaimed.  
  
A cuddly-looking teddy bear leaped up onto the counter and raised its front paws threateningly.  
  
"Oh man!" Joey gasped. "Tell me I'm not seein' what it looks like I'm seein'!"  
  
"Unfortunately, Joey, you are!" Tristan replied. "We all are!"  
  
Maureen was angry. "It's happening again!" she cried. "The toys are coming to life!"  
  
"You mean this has happened before?!" Yugi said in shock.  
  
"Once before," Tea told him. "Last week. Maureen and I were staying late doing inventory when all the stuffed animals and the radio-controlled cars came to life and surrounded us!"  
  
Joey became uncomfortably aware of the fact that they were, indeed, being boxed in on all sides by the toys. "Uh . . . they won't attack, right?" he asked shakily.  
  
"I wouldn't take any chances," Maureen replied. "Someone must be controlling them with a remote control . . . somehow." She didn't sound quite convinced.  
  
"Last time, they were just suddenly lifeless again," Tea said, backing up against the wall as she was cornered by three-foot-tall dolls and plush lions. "Maureen and I decided we were just overworked and had imagined it all."  
  
Joey gasped as a tiger roared and landed on his back. "Man, this ain't no imaginary creature!" he declared, wrestling with it. "Help! It won't let me go!!"  
  
"Oh my!" Bakura exclaimed as he was brought to the floor by a giant elephant plush. He tried vainly to push it off his chest.  
  
Before long, all six teens and Maureen had been pinned to the floor by the animated stuffed animals and remote-controlled cars! 


	4. Unusual Stalker

"Man, this is crazy!" Tristan gasped, wrestling with a long, rubber cobra. "This isn't exactly how I planned to spend a December Tuesday!"  
  
"You said it, Tristan," Joey exclaimed as the tiger wrapped its paws around him and growled.  
  
"Help!!" Bakura screamed, still pinned down by the elephant.  
  
The Millennium Ring and the Puzzle both glowed and the Yamis appeared.  
  
"Yami, can you get us free?" Yugi gasped, trapped by the teddy bear that had leaped out at them first.  
  
"Of course, Yugi," Yami Yugi replied, but before he could do anything, a zebra attacked him from behind and knocked him to the floor.  
  
"Yami!" Yugi burst out in shock.  
  
"How are these things coming to life?!" Tea wondered as she and Mai fought with two life-size soldier dolls.  
  
"Fools," Yami Bakura sneered, then suddenly cried out as a radio-controlled car crashed against his legs, making him fall backwards.  
  
"Yami, are you alright?" Bakura asked worriedly, trying to look around the elephant's trunk.  
  
Yami Bakura growled angrily from his new position on top of the car, which then started driving around the store with the thief unwillingly riding it. "Unhand me at once!!" he ordered in vain.  
  
All the commotion had finally awakened Mr. Thorton, who'd been sleeping on the couch in his office with an ice pack on his head. He came into the store now and stared in horror at the living plushies and wild RC cars. "Oh goodness! Oh gracious!! It's the curse!!" the nervous man moaned, messing up his hair.  
  
"Forget the curse!" Joey snapped. "Just get us outta this mess!!"  
  
A huge St. Bernard plush bounded out of nowhere and completely bowled the short man over. "Save me!!" he shrieked as it started licking his face.  
  
"Who's going to save us?!" Mai said in frustration.  
  
"Why doesn't someone from out in the mall come to see what's happening?" Tea wondered, wrestling with a nutcracker.  
  
"They probably think we're all crazy in here, fighting with stuffed animals and dolls!" Maureen replied.  
  
Yami Bakura screamed in terror as the car sped around corners and knocked over displays. A rubber octopus dropped on his head and the long legs dangled in his eyes.  
  
"Who knew a plush animal could be so heavy?" Bakura gasped, pushing on the elephant again. "Yami, can't you just jump off the car?" he exclaimed, hearing the tomb robber's cries of panic.  
  
"You dolt!! If I could, don't you think I would??!" Yami Bakura yelled back. If he tried to jump off the car at the speed it was going, he could be seriously hurt.  
  
The door opened then and Seto Kaiba came in.  
  
"Kaiba, what're you doin' here?!" Joey asked in confusion, just as a lion sprang on him in addition to the tiger. "Oh never mind! Just give me a hand here!!!"  
  
Seto stared at Joey and the others in disbelief. "What is this? A three-ring circus?!"  
  
"Shut up and get these things off me!!" Joey yelled as the lion and the tiger both roared at him.  
  
Seto's eyes narrowed and he was about to make a retort when a plush cougar cub dropped from the ceiling onto his head. "What the . . ."  
  
Yami Yugi finally managed to overpower the zebra and stood up. "This has gone on long enough!" he said sternly, and the Millennium Puzzle glowed. "Return to your inanimate forms!" he ordered.  
  
The plush animals and toy soldiers went limp and fell to the floor. The speeding car stopped abruptly and sent Yami Bakura flying headfirst into a display of Star Wars merchandise. Bakura, shoving the elephant aside, gasped and rushed to help him.  
  
Mai stood up shakily, brushing her long hair out of her eyes. "I broke a nail!" she exclaimed indignantly.  
  
Seto pulled the cougar off his head, looking annoyed. "What kind of nonsense is this?!" he demanded.  
  
Tea, pushing the nutcracker away, went to help Yugi stand up. "I wish we knew," she said to Seto. "But why are you here anyway, Kaiba?"  
  
"Yeah, did you decide to help us solve this thing?" Joey asked.  
  
"I have more pressing matters at the moment," Seto replied.  
  
"What could be more pressing than findin' out why these things came alive?!" Joey demanded, gesturing wildly and knocking a plastic candy cane display down.  
  
Seto raised an eyebrow at him and didn't answer. He didn't specially feel the need to tell the others what he was up to. The truth was, he had realized that the first line of the odd note looked like it could be an address, and that—strangely enough—it matched the address of the mall. Naturally he had decided a trip to the mall was in order, and then he hadn't been able to help noticing the ridiculous goings-on at Toys, Etc.  
  
Mr. Thorton struggled to get up from under the life-size St. Bernard plush, shaking nervously. "Oh, Mr. Kaiba, please don't sue me! Please!!"  
  
"Sue you?" Seto repeated. "Why should I sue you?"  
  
Mr. Thorton twisted his tie into a wrinkled mess and stammered incoherently. Seto stared at him, amused.  
  
Suddenly the door opened and Mara peeked in. "Mr. Kaiba?" she said uncertainly.  
  
Seto whirled around, shocked. "What are you doing here?!" he demanded.  
  
Mara shifted uncomfortably. "Well . . . I heard about what you were planning to do, and . . . I kinda snuck in the trunk of your limo so I could come along," she admitted sheepishly.  
  
"You did what?!" Seto looked angry.  
  
Mara shrank back. "Please don't be mad at me, Mr. Kaiba," she pleaded.  
  
"Hey Kaiba, who the heck is this kid?!" Joey wanted to know.  
  
Seto ignored him. He looked hard at Mara, and then his expression softened. He knew that if Mokuba had been in danger, he would done everything possible to rescue him, and Mara was just like that about her parents. She didn't want to just sit back and watch things happen—she wanted to help in the search, even if it meant putting herself in danger.  
  
"We'll talk more about this later," Seto said finally, and scooped the girl up into his arms. Mara, looking immensely relieved, wrapped her arms around the boy's neck and smiled.  
  
"Who's the kid?!" Joey asked again.  
  
"I'm Mara!" the girl said indignantly. "You don't havta talk around me like I'm not here!"  
  
"Eh, of course not, kid," Joey said, ruffling her hair. "What's going on, Kaiba? Are you baby-sitting again?" The blonde boy grinned.  
  
"No." Seto turned back to Mr. Thorton. "I want to speak with you privately," he requested.  
  
Mr. Thorton gulped. "Mr. Kaiba, I . . . I'm so sorry about what happened yesterday!" he quavered. "I . . . I'll pay for any medical expenses, but just please, please don't sue me!!" He clasped his hands melodramatically.  
  
"I'm not going to sue you," Seto replied with a deadpan expression.  
  
Mr. Thorton blinked. "You're not? Oh, God bless you, Mr. Kaiba!!" he exclaimed happily. "Come right into my office!"  
  
"Thank you," Seto nodded, following the man into the Employees Only area, still carrying Mara.  
  
"Well, whoever that kid is, she sure seems to like Kaiba," Joey remarked.  
  
Yugi nodded. "He seems to have that effect on a lot of kids," he agreed. "He is good with them."  
  
"Never mind that," Maureen said grouchily. "Just explain how these things came to life." She held up a plush monkey gingerly.  
  
"They must have been remote-controlled somehow," Tea said.  
  
Suddenly a horrible scream came from the backroom.  
  
"Oh man!" Joey gasped. "Not Thorton again!"  
  
"Sure sounds like him," Tristan said as everyone ran to the door and flung it open.  
  
Again they ran down the hall and found Mr. Thorton's office. They weren't expecting to see him standing over his desk, glaring Seto down fiercely. Man, Joey thought, if looks could kill . . .  
  
"Out!! Out!! Get out!!" Mr. Thorton yelled.  
  
Seto stood his ground, but Mara looked frightened. "Why does this upset you so, Mr. Thorton?" Seto demanded.  
  
The excitable man shook his head and shoved Seto backwards towards the door. "You must leave!" he declared. "I can't talk about this!! Out!! OUT!!!"  
  
"Man, what's the matter with you today?!" Joey wanted to know.  
  
Mr. Thorton started and looked up at him and the others gathered around. He clenched and unclenched his fists for a while and then said, "I can't talk about this. Please, everyone, leave my office." He pointed to the door firmly.  
  
"Mr. Thorton, are you alright?" Tea asked worriedly.  
  
The man nodded shakily and continued to point at the door insistently. "Everyone out!!!" he ordered.  
  
"Alright, man," Joey said, backing out of the room.  
  
"He certainly is upset about something," Bakura remarked when they were out in the hall again.  
  
"Kaiba really shook him up," Joey added, scratching his head.  
  
"There's something weird about him," Tristan said, shaking his head.  
  
"Who? Kaiba?" Joey grinned.  
  
"No, wiseguy," Tristan shot back. "Thorton!"  
  
"Oh yeah, he's weird too," Joey said.  
****  
Seto, meanwhile, had already left the store with Mara.  
  
"Why was he so upset, Mr. Kaiba?" the girl asked. "All you did was show him that note and ask if it meant anything to him!"  
  
"Judging from his reaction, it's obvious that it did mean something to him," Seto told her.  
  
"Do you think he took my mommy?" Mara sobbed.  
  
Seto stopped to think about that. It was hard for him to imagine Mr. Thorton being smart enough to pull something like that off, but he knew that appearances could be deceiving. "I don't know, kid," he said finally, "but if he's involved in any way, I'm going to find out."  
  
Mara smiled weakly. "What are we gonna do now?" she asked.  
  
"'We' are not doing anything," Seto replied firmly, carrying Mara outside to the limo. "You are going back to the house!"  
  
"But I have to stay and help!!!" Mara protested. "I've gotta find Mommy and Daddy!!"  
  
Seto gently lifted the girl inside the limo and fixed her seatbelt. "Look, kid, until we can figure out what's going on here, you're in danger. I'm responsible for you, and I can't intentionally allow you to do something stupid." He looked into her eyes. "So right now, the best thing you can do to help find them is to stay safe and go back home. Mokuba will be happy to hang out with you. Okay?"  
  
Mara sighed, then slowly nodded in defeat. "Okay," she agreed softly.  
  
Seto smiled and patted her on the shoulder. After instructing the chauffeur to take Mara straight home and then come back to wait for him, the boy went back into the mall.  
  
How should he begin the search? Something obviously strange was going on, and especially at Toys, Etc. Somehow Seto had to get back inside and find out what was happening with Mr. Thorton!  
  
As Seto walked down the crowded corridors and past the busy shoppers, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. Someone was following him. Slowly he turned around to look and then stopped short in utter shock.  
  
A live reindeer was standing right in the middle of the floor, its long antlers pointed directly at him! 


	5. Reindeer Attack!

Notes: **laughs at the song Tefla was singing!** You inspired some of this chapter ^_~  
  
  
Seto backed up slowly, not especially wanting to be run down by the reindeer. "What's going on here?!" he demanded loudly.  
  
A short little man dressed as a Christmas elf ran up to the deer frantically and grabbed its harness. "I'm so sorry," he exclaimed in a high-pitched voice, "but you don't have to be concerned. Dancer just wanted to say hello."  
  
Seto raised an eyebrow at him. "Look, I don't have time for this," he said coldly. "Just try to keep your pets in line from now on. If you allow them to run wild, they could seriously injure someone."  
  
The elvish man shook his head vigorously. "Oh, Dancer is not a pet!" he said firmly.  
  
Seto was not in the mood for this. "Just tell me this—have you noticed the unusual things going on at Toys, Etc. lately?" he demanded.  
  
The elf blinked. "Oh, of course," he said. "Hasn't everyone?"  
  
Seto folded his arms. "Does the owner, Mr. Thorton, seem strange to you?"  
  
"Well . . ." The elf looked from side to side nervously. "I don't know if I should say anything . . ."  
  
"You should." Seto looked at him impatiently.  
  
The elf twisted Dancer's harness in his hands, reminding Seto of Velma with her dust mop. He seemed to be weighing the consequences of telling Seto whatever it was he knew. At last he said, "Alright. Meet me here after the mall closes tonight at eleven," and started leading Dancer back to the North Pole display in the middle of the mall.  
  
Seto's eyes narrowed. Those late night meetings often meant trouble. He would have to be on his guard. But meantime, he would look for more clues elsewhere.  
****  
Back at Toys, Etc., the six teens were helping Maureen put the wayward toys back on their shelves.  
  
"Man, did I just see Kaiba get cornered by a reindeer?" Joey snickered.  
  
"I think so," Yugi said with a blink.  
  
"What's a reindeer doing in the mall?!" Mai exclaimed.  
  
"That's exactly what I was wondering," Tristan declared.  
  
As they replaced the fallen wildlife plushies, Joey started to sing jokingly, "Kaiba got run over by a reindeer . . ."  
  
"Joey!!!" Tea scolded. "That's not funny!!"  
  
Joey shrugged. "It does leave ya with a weird mental picture, though," he said, thinking of the words to the song.  
  
Tea rolled her eyes.  
  
"Somehow, I don't think Kaiba would appreciate it," Yugi remarked, setting the radio-controlled cars back on their display table.  
  
"Oh my . . . what's this?" Bakura exclaimed, examining one of the stuffed animals.  
  
Mai stared at it. "It looks like a leopard to me."  
  
Bakura shook his head. "No . . . that's not what I meant. Look at this!" He held up a small, square, metal device.  
  
"Whoa . . ." Tristan blinked in surprise.  
  
"What is that thing?!" Joey demanded.  
  
Yugi took it and turned it over and over in his hands. "Where did you find this, Bakura?" he asked.  
  
"It was inside this animal," Bakura replied, pointing to a rip in the plush's back. "It fell out when I picked it up."  
  
"No way," Tristan said, looking appalled.  
  
"It looks like some kind of remote-control receiver or something," Yugi mused.  
  
"That's exactly what it is," Maureen nodded. "They put them in the radio-controlled cars. They're what the radio tunes in with to make the cars move."  
  
"And somehow they wired all these plushies to move around too?" Joey said in disbelief.  
  
"It'd be easy enough, I suppose," Maureen said slowly, glaring at the plush in Bakura's hands. "But why would they do it?!"  
  
"It's a puzzle," Yugi admitted with a sigh.  
  
"I can't figure out what the point would be, either," Tea said, shaking her head. "Unless they just want to completely scare us silly!"  
  
"Maybe they want us to leave the store," Yugi mused.  
  
"Yeah, but why?" Joey wanted to know.  
  
"Perhaps there is some secret here that we're not supposed to see," Bakura suggested.  
  
"Yeah, but what?!" Joey said in frustration. "This is gettin' us nowhere!!"  
  
A search of the store turned up nothing significant.  
  
"I think we should search that weird Mr. Thorton's office," Joey declared.  
  
"Sounds good to me," Tristan agreed.  
  
"But we can't do that as long as he's still here," Bakura objected.  
  
"Well, if you want to hang around until the mall closes and Mr. Thorton leaves, I guess we could do it then," Tea said hesitantly.  
  
"I still have a lot of shopping to do," Mai announced, "so I'll leave you boys and girls to deal with the living toys." She picked up her bags and waved goodbye.  
  
After saying goodbye to Mai, the boys agreed to Tea's idea; however, since there was still a couple of hours before the mall would close, they had to come up with something to do until then.  
  
"We could go bug Kaiba," Joey grinned. "After all, whatever he's involved with must have some connection with our mystery, what with the way that Thorton guy reacted to whatever Kaiba asked him!"  
  
"We don't even know where Kaiba went," Yugi pointed out.  
  
Eventually they decided to split up. Tristan and Joey would wander around the mall, looking for anything unusual—and maybe Seto as well—while Yugi and Bakura would stay at Toys, Etc. and continue helping Tea and Maureen with straightening things up.  
  
"You sure you don't want to come with us, guys?" Tristan asked.  
  
Yugi nodded. "We'll just stay here. But come back here by eleven," he warned, "or you might get kicked out of the mall."  
  
"Don't worry, Yug," Joey said airily. "We'll be back before you know it!"  
  
Tea shook her head in amusement. "There's no telling what kind of mischief they'll get into," she remarked.  
****  
"Man, this mall really goes out with their Christmas stuff," Joey declared.  
  
"You're telling me," Tristan agreed. "Look at all those live reindeer, and the elves!"  
  
"Kaiba could be almost anywhere," Joey sighed. "This mall must have four floors!"  
  
"Yeah, but did you ever think he'd be there?!" Tristan exclaimed, pointing. Joey stared in complete, utter disbelief.  
  
Seto Kaiba was barreling towards them on the back of another reindeer, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake!  
  
"He's coming right at us!" Joey yelled. "Jump outta the way!!"  
  
"You don't havta tell me twice, buddy!" Tristan declared, diving into a nearby store, and Joey quickly followed suit.  
  
"Kaiba, what's the matter with ya?! You're gonna get us all killed!!" Joey yelled.  
  
Seto fought furiously with the reindeer, trying to get it to come to a halt. He pulled on the reins, clenching his teeth angrily. Slowly the animal skidded across the floor, twisting its body wildly from side to side. Seto struggled to hold on, but when the deer stopped most abruptly, the boy went flying off and crashed hard to the floor. After knocking a kiosk and some candy barrels over, the frantic reindeer turned around, stepped on Seto's chest, and disappeared around a corner, bawling madly.  
  
Joey and Tristan stared at the fleeing animal in shock for several long minutes, and then they snapped out of their trance and ran to Seto's aid.  
  
"Kaiba! Hey, man, are you hurt?" Joey asked. He had learned a long time ago how much a horse's hooves could injure someone, and he had the feeling that a reindeer's hooves would be just as dangerous.  
  
Seto groaned and sat up slowly. He didn't appear to be seriously injured, but he was certain that the animal's crazed escape had left him more than a little banged up.  
  
"What was going on with you?" Tristan demanded. "Why on earth were you riding that reindeer?!"  
  
Seto shook his head. "If I'd had a choice, believe me, I wouldn't have been." It hadn't been his fault, actually—the deer had just ran out of nowhere and crashed into him from behind, sending him flying backwards and onto the animal's back.  
  
Now that Joey knew that Seto was alright for the most part—except for being very shaken up and probably badly bruised—he couldn't resist teasing him a bit. "Kaiba got run over by a reindeer," he sang, and then burst into laughter.  
  
Seto's eyes narrowed angrily. "Shut up, Wheeler."  
****  
Back at Toys, Etc., Yugi was sweeping the floor, Tea was restocking the shelves, and Bakura had been left in charge at the front counter while Maureen went to further examine the device Bakura had found earlier. "It's easy," she had told him when he expressed doubt about his ability to do things right. "Just check the computer for anything the customers ask for, and if something is in the storeroom it should be in a clearly marked case and easy to find."  
  
So far things had been pretty quiet at the store, but now a stuffy-looking woman came in and walked up to the desk. "Are you in charge here?" she demanded.  
  
Bakura blinked, surprised at her harsh tone. "Why . . . yes, I suppose I am," he said slowly.  
  
"Then tell me where I can find the Star Wars Unleashed figures," the woman ordered. "They aren't on the shelves where they should be!"  
  
Quickly Bakura looked them up on the computer. "Well, it says we have some cases in the back," he told the woman. "If you'll wait a moment, I could go see what I can find."  
  
The woman sighed. "Fine. But be quick about it," she said. "I waited for the better part of an hour for someone at another store, and I don't have that kind of time to waste!"  
  
Bakura didn't like the woman's rude tone, but Maureen had reminded him that "the customer was always right," and besides, he was too meek and shy to protest. "I'll be right back," he promised, heading into the storeroom.  
  
He wandered up and down the aisles, carefully examining each box and crate. "They should be right around here somewhere," he mused, lifting another box down from a high shelf.  
  
Suddenly he froze, his heart racing wildly. He wasn't alone. Someone was right here, watching him!  
  
He whirled around to look. No one was there that he could see, but he still felt nervous. "Hello?" he called tentatively. "Yugi? Tea?"  
  
A rough arm shot out and grabbed him harshly. Bakura gasped and struggled to get free. "What are you doing?!" he cried. "Let me go!! Please!!"  
  
A sweet-smelling cloth was thrust over his nose and mouth. Bakura felt himself grow weak as colors swirled in front of his eyes and faded to black. 


	6. Disturbing Discoveries

Note: Just a random thing I wanted to mention: I wouldn't have let the reindeer run across Kaiba if he would've gotten really hurt because of it ^_~ I do not think injuring people is funny at all! Mmyep. . . . ANYWAY, on with the story!! ^_^  
  
  
Tea was just finishing setting up the Legos at the back of the store when an impatient-looking woman marched up to her. "Uh, can I help you?" Tea asked.  
  
"I should hope so," the woman grumped. "Some boy went into the storeroom to find the Star Wars Unleashed figures ages ago and he hasn't come back yet! I have had enough dawdling for one day!"  
  
Tea gasped. "Bakura wouldn't be dawdling!" she said indignantly. "He might be hurt!"  
  
"Hurt?" the woman said incredulously. "You mean he's accident-prone or something?"  
  
Tea didn't answer. Instead she ran into the storeroom frantically. "Bakura?" she called, looking down every aisle. "Where are you?!"  
  
She had searched through nearly the entire area when she suddenly spotted a limp hand hanging out from an empty packing crate. "Bakura?" she whispered fearfully, peering inside. The missing boy had been dumped carelessly at the bottom of the crate, and he wasn't moving. Tea let out a shriek of horror.  
  
"Tea! What's wrong?!" Yugi called worriedly from the main part of the store.  
  
"It's Bakura!!" Tea screamed, kneeling next to the crate and gently laying a hand on the boy's shoulder. "He's hurt!" She shook him very gently. "Bakura? Can you hear me?" Upon not receiving an answer, Tea felt herself getting dizzy with panic. "I can't wake him!!" she cried in alarm.  
  
The Millennium Ring glowed and Yami Bakura appeared, looking less than pleased. "Ridiculous mortals!" he fumed.  
  
"What's wrong with Bakura?" Tea demanded.  
  
Yami Bakura shook his head and tried to lift the boy's body out of the crate. It was a bit like picking up a ragdoll. Bakura looked as though he were asleep, but he wouldn't awaken, and he was so limp. . . .  
  
Tea watched fearfully as the ancient tomb raider pulled Bakura into his arms and stared angrily at him. Suddenly the girl paused, blinking in confusion. "Hey, it smells sweet in here!" she declared suspiciously.  
  
Yami Bakura grunted in reply, not really paying attention. He stared into the motionless boy's innocent face. "Bakura, you fool," he growled. "What have you gone and gotten yourself into this time?!"  
  
"I think he might've been chloroformed!" Tea said shakily.  
  
Yami Bakura snorted in disgust. "Of all the absurd, ridiculous . . ." He slapped Bakura across the face in an attempt to wake him up.  
  
"Don't do that!" Tea said indignantly. "You might hurt him!"  
  
Yami Bakura growled angrily.  
  
"Maybe Mr. Thorton will let us lay him on the couch in his office," Tea said hopefully. "Can you carry him out there?"  
  
"Of course I *can*, you fool," Yami Bakura said grouchily. He stood up, holding the boy's body in his arms. "The question is, Will I?"  
  
"You know you will," Tea said in frustration. "But be careful with him!!" She walked to the door and found Yugi just coming in with Maureen.  
  
"How is he?" Yugi asked in concern. "Is he hurt bad?"  
  
Quickly Tea told them of her suspicions as Yami Bakura made his way over to them. He was still holding Bakura, and was trying to support the boy's limp neck with his arm. "What a dolt," he muttered, his slanted brown eyes revealing his worry.  
  
Yugi looked horrified as he saw Bakura's still form. "Let's get him onto the couch in Mr. Thorton's office!" he exclaimed.  
****  
Mr. Thorton's eyes went wide when they brought Bakura in. "Oh gracious! What has happened now?! Oh, this poor boy!" He hovered around Yami Bakura as he laid Bakura on the couch, greatly annoying the thief.  
  
"Stay back, you fool!" Yami Bakura growled. "Give him room to breathe!"  
  
Mr. Thorton wrung his hands anxiously. "This is horrible! My store isn't safe for anyone!!"  
  
"What can we do to help this kid?" Maureen asked, feeling guilty because she had been the one to put Bakura in charge of the counter. "Do we need to call an ambulance?"  
  
Tea realized then that she didn't know if it was better to let Bakura sleep off the effects of the chloroform or not. She also didn't know what would happen if his attacker had used more of the stuff than was necessary. Bakura might go into a coma, or worse, he might . . .  
  
She didn't finish that thought. "We need to try waking him up," she decided finally, going to the water cooler and dampening a bandanna she'd found in her pocket. Gently she dabbed it over the boy's forehead and face. "Bakura? Can you hear us?" she asked worriedly.  
  
"Foolish mortal," Yami Bakura said again. "Wake up!!" He grabbed the boy's shoulder forcefully.  
  
Bakura, slowly emerging from the fog of unconsciousness, felt himself being grabbed and cried out in fright.  
  
"You dolt! It's me!!" Yami Bakura said in irritation.  
  
Bakura's eyes fluttered open. He blinked in apparent disbelief. "Yami?" he said softly.  
  
"Of course, you fool." Yami Bakura loosened his grip on the boy's shoulder.  
  
"Bakura, are you okay?" Yugi asked.  
  
Bakura closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again. "I'm alright," he said finally with a weak smile. The truth was, he had a headache and he couldn't remember what had happened, but he was certain that he would be fine in a few minutes.  
  
"Are you sure?" Tea asked, her eyes shining with concern.  
  
Bakura nodded and then blinked in confusion. "What happened to me?"  
  
"You don't remember?" Tea looked worried.  
  
"I'm afraid I don't," Bakura replied, wide-eyed.  
  
"Your friend thinks you were chloroformed," Yami Bakura told him, indicating Tea.  
  
"Chloroformed?!" Mr. Thorton shrieked.  
  
"Oh my," Bakura gasped. He paused. "I think I'm starting to remember now," he announced a moment later.  
  
"Then what happened, for heaven's sake?!" Yami Bakura demanded.  
  
Bakura sat up, rubbing at his temples. "Someone grabbed me from behind and wouldn't let go," he said with a shudder. "They put a sweet-smelling cloth over my face and . . . Well, I'm afraid that's all I remember."  
  
"Oh, this is horrible!" Mr. Thorton cried, messing up his hair. "I'm ruined! Ruined!! I'll be shut down by the Safety Committee!"  
  
"Don't worry, Mr. Thorton," Tea said comfortingly. "We'll find out who's behind this!"  
  
"That's right!" Yugi agreed with a firm nod. His gaze fell down on the man's desk and he noticed a strange picture hanging out from under a stack of papers and moved over for a better look.  
  
The picture was black-and-white and very shadowy, but looked as if it had been taken recently. Yugi could make out a frantic-looking woman trying to make a phone call. She seemed to have dark hair and bright, worried eyes, and around her neck she wore a locket. Yugi stared at the picture, something about it drawing him in. He knew it was important. When they came back later to search the office, he would have to somehow make a copy of it.  
  
Bakura was now trying to stand up with Yami Bakura's assistance.  
  
"Are you sure you're okay, Bakura?" Tea asked worriedly.  
  
Bakura smiled and nodded. "I'm alright, Tea," he said.  
  
"This is all too much," Mr. Thorton cried. "He may be alright, but I don't think I am!"  
  
Maureen, used to her boss's melodramatic moans, ignored him.  
  
"I think I should go home," Mr. Thorton declared, going to the door. "I need a good rest!"  
  
"I'll drive you there, sir," Maureen volunteered, winking at Yugi. If she could get him out of there, the teens could search his office. It wasn't hard to get Mr. Thorton to agree to her suggestion, and before long the teens were looking through the papers and files and strange odds-and-ends on the man's desk.  
  
"I wish we didn't have to do this," Yugi sighed.  
  
"I know," Bakura agreed. "It seems like such an invasion of privacy. . . ."  
  
Tea nodded as she looked through the filing cabinet. "But if we can find out what got him so upset, we might be able to help him," she said, and suddenly screamed as a huge, plastic spider popped out from among the files.  
  
"What is it?" Yugi gasped.  
  
Tea pointed at the spider. "That! It's disgusting!!" she declared.  
  
"What's disgustin'?" Joey asked from the doorway.  
  
"Joey!" Yugi exclaimed. "What's been happening with you and Tristan?!"  
  
"Kaiba got run over by a reindeer," Joey announced, and Tristan nodded in agreement.  
  
"Not that again," Tea sighed.  
  
"I'm serious this time," Joey replied.  
  
"Shut up, Wheeler." Seto appeared in the doorway as well, looking miffed. His gaze fell on the picture Yugi had discovered earlier, which the other boy was now preparing to Xerox. "What's that?" Seto demanded.  
  
"I don't know," Yugi said slowly.  
  
Seto grabbed and stared at it, then stuck it in the Xerox machine and made a copy for himself.  
  
"What's so interesting about that thing?" Joey asked with a blink. "I don't get it."  
  
"You don't have to." Seto slipped the Xerox into his briefcase.  
  
"Oh my," Bakura cried suddenly, "I just remembered—what about that lady who wanted the Star Wars figures?!"  
  
"What!" Yami Bakura said in disbelief. "You dolt! What a thing to be worrying about right now!"  
  
Bakura shook his head. "But she wanted those figures . . . I'd want her to be able to get them . . ."  
  
"Maureen found some for her," Yugi told him. "She said 'your friend there must have knocked them over when he was riding that radio-controlled car'," he quoted.  
  
"I am not his friend," Yami Bakura grumped.  
  
Tea gasped suddenly. "I just thought of something! What if the creep who hurt Bakura is still housed up in the storeroom?!"  
  
"Bakura got hurt?" Joey exclaimed, wide-eyed.  
  
"It's a long story," Bakura sighed. "But I'm fine, really."  
  
"Maybe we should call the police," Tea worried.  
  
"Perhaps we should, but I will investigate first," Yami Yugi announced, appearing suddenly. "Most likely, he left long ago after chloroforming Bakura." After instructing everyone else to stay in Mr. Thorton's office, the pharaoh disappeared into the storeroom.  
  
"What could that guy have wanted in the storeroom?!" Tristan wondered.  
  
"Heh, if we knew that, we might have this whole thing solved," Joey replied.  
  
As they continued to search through the office, a piece of paper fell out of a file Yugi was looking through. "Huh? What's this?!" the boy exclaimed, blinking in surprise.  
  
Everyone gathered around to look. It seemed to be a transcript of a phone call between an operator and a frantic woman . . . perhaps the same one in the picture Yugi had found.  
  
Operator: Hello, how may I help you?  
  
Caller: Help! Please help me . . .  
  
Operator: What's wrong, ma'am?  
  
Caller: I'm being held hostage, and I don't know if my little girl is safe, and . . .  
  
Operator: Alright, ma'am, calm down. . . . Can you tell us more about your situation?  
  
Caller: My little girl is carrying some important information, and . . .  
  
Operator: Hello? Ma'am, are you there? Hello? . . . Hello? . . .  
  
Everyone stared at the paper in disbelief. What was going on around here? Seto picked it up slowly, thoughts swirling through his mind. Was Mara the little girl? Was the frantic caller her mother? Why did Mr. Thorton have it? Was he guilty of kidnapping Mara's parents?  
  
The doorknob turned abruptly.  
  
"Someone's coming!" Tea exclaimed in horror. "And there's nowhere to hide!" 


	7. Locked In!

Note: LOL, the stereo part is based on a funny story my Sunday School teacher told the class yesterday ^^   
  
  
Quickly Joey did the only thing he could think of to do in such a situation. He ran up to the door and slammed himself against it, trying to prevent whoever was on the other end from getting in.  
  
Seto raised an eyebrow at him. "Now they'll know for certain that something strange is going on in here, Wheeler," he scolded.  
  
Sure enough, the person on the other side was getting very angry. They kicked at the door, rattled the knob, and tried to bust the thing down. "What the heck's the matter here?!" an unfamiliar voice growled.  
  
What followed was a long, uncomfortable silence.  
  
"Do you think they've gone?" Tea wondered.  
  
Joey listened for several long moments and then slowly backed away from the door. "Yeah, I would say so," he grinned. "They didn't wanna go up against the mighty Joey Wheeler to get through!"  
  
The other teens exchanged "Oh brother" looks.  
  
Suddenly there was a horrid crash on the other side of the door and the whole thing tore off its hinges, falling to the floor and pinning Joey underneath it!  
  
"Joey!" Yugi cried. "Are you okay?!"  
  
Before Joey could answer, a tough-looking man that none of the teens recognized strode in and glared angrily at each of the teens in turn.  
  
"Who are you?!" the teens all demanded in unison.  
  
"Doesn't matter," the man growled, tapping his fingers on the desk as if he owned the place. "Where's Thorton?"  
  
"He's left for the evening," Tea spoke up. "But I could give him a message if you'd like."  
  
The man growled in irritation. "I'm Richard Byrnes, manager of the Jack Eiffel furniture store here in the mall," he said. "Just tell Thorton I came by." He turned to leave and stepped gracefully over Joey and the fallen door. Yugi, Tristan, and Seto all went to help the other boy climb out from under the heavy slab of wood.  
  
"Man, he didn't say 'I'm sorry' or nothin'!" Joey grumbled as the other boys lifted the door off of him.  
  
"He really wasn't very polite," Yugi agreed, looking upset.  
  
"I wonder what on earth he wanted," Bakura mused.  
  
Seto didn't say anything, but he had noticed the man stare at the photo of the frantic woman—which Yugi had set back on the desk earlier—and then pocket it when he was sure no one was looking. Seto thought he had been the only one to notice, but then Joey remarked, "And hey, did you see him steal that picture from off the desk?! I thought maybe I was just imaginin' things, but it's gone!"  
  
"I saw that too," Tristan admitted, "but it was so fast I wasn't altogether sure it really happened."  
  
"What would he want with that picture?!" Tea exclaimed in frustration. "What relevance does it have to anything?!"  
  
Seto wondered this too. If the woman in the picture really was Mara's mother, Byrnes must have known it. He decided that he needed to visit that furniture store. Without a word, he turned to leave the room.  
  
"Hey, Kaiba, where're you goin'?!" Joey asked.  
  
"Elsewhere," Seto replied.  
  
"Come on, man, you can tell us!" Joey said in frustration, following after him.  
  
"I could," Seto agreed, "if I wanted to." He went on out into the main part of the store.  
  
"Maybe we should go find that guy and ask him why he stole that picture," Tristan suggested.  
  
"That's not a bad idea, Tristan," Yugi admitted, "but we should probably check on my yami first. . . ."  
  
"No need," Yami Yugi said, coming up behind the short boy. The pharaoh sighed. "Whoever was hiding out in there is long gone now," he said.  
  
"Well, we expected as much," Yugi said. "But something else strange happened while you were gone, Yami." With that he and the other teens began to explain about Byrnes' sudden appearance and the stealing of the photo.  
  
"That is odd," Yami Yugi admitted. "What would he want with that?"  
  
"That's what we need to find out!" Joey said determinedly, slamming his fist into his palm. "So let's put things back the way we found 'em and head off to that furniture place!" The others agreed, and before long they were wandering through the seemingly endless mall corridors, trying to find Jack Eiffel Furniture.  
  
"I'm sure I've seen it sometimes on my way to work," Tea said. "I think it's a two-floor store at least."  
  
"Full of nothin' but furniture?" Joey asked.  
  
"Pretty much," Yugi said. "Grampa went in there recently to buy a new counter for the shop. It's a pretty nice place."  
  
"Hey! Isn't that it over there?" Bakura said suddenly, pointing ahead to a store near the end of the long hallway.  
  
"I think it is," Yugi announced.  
  
Before long the group had reached the entrance and hurried inside. "We barely made it in time," Tea said. "I think they're about to close."  
  
"Hey, isn't that Kaiba over there arguing with Byrnes?!" Tristan exclaimed.  
  
Everyone's gaze was directed to where Tristan indicated. "It sure is!" Yugi said, blinking.  
  
"You insolent shrimp!" Byrnes was screaming. "Get out of my store and don't come back!!" Before Seto could do anything, the man had shoved him backward violently into a display of garden statues.  
  
The others gasped and rushed over. "Kaiba! Are you hurt?" Yugi demanded worriedly.  
  
Seto looked up, a world-weary expression on his face. He had crashed between a cherub holding a bird and a Grecian woman filling a jug of water. He stood up, glaring at Byrnes. "That was uncalled for," he growled. "I should bring you up on assault charges."  
  
"Just try it." Byrnes whirled around and stormed away.  
  
"Whoa, what's his problem?!" Joey exclaimed.  
  
"I seem to have pushed his buttons," Seto replied. "And that means I must be on the right track."  
  
"Eh, he didn't give you the picture back, did he?" Joey asked.  
  
"No." Seto turned to walk away. He didn't seem surprised to see Yugi and the others there—which he wasn't.  
  
At that moment the lights dimmed considerably.  
  
"Oh man, what's happening?!" Joey cried. "Don't tell me we're bein' locked in!"  
  
"I'm afraid we are," Yami Yugi said grimly, coming up behind the Brooklyn boy. "I just tried the door."  
  
"What?!" Joey messed up his hair in frustration. "We can't stay in here all night!!"  
  
"I don't think we have a choice," Yami Yugi replied. "If we try to open the doors, we'll probably sound the burglar alarm."  
  
"You've gotta be kiddin'!" Joey cried, messing up his hair. "That guy wanted us to get out! Why the heck would he lock us in his furniture store?!"  
  
"It doesn't make much sense," Tea remarked, crossing her arms.  
  
"Maybe there's another door somewhere," Bakura suggested.  
  
"If there is, we shouldn't waste any time finding it," Yami Yugi said.  
  
Quickly they split up into two groups to look for another exit.  
  
"Kaiba, what the heck did you say to that guy?" Joey demanded.  
  
Seto raised an eyebrow at him. "Nothing to warrent being shoved into the garden statues," he replied. This case was becoming very perplexing. Everyone seemed to be a suspect, but who was actually guilty?  
  
"Maybe we should be workin' together again," Joey suggested. "It seems like your case is probably connected in some weird way to ours."  
  
Seto didn't answer, except to say, "This isn't exactly the time, Wheeler." He tried the Emergency Exit and found it also locked.  
  
"Man, what now?" Joey burst out. "We can't stay in here all night!"  
  
"I suppose I could try disabling the alarm system," Seto mused, "but then I might not be able to get it back up again." If he disabled it, then they would all get back outside the store, but Seto would have no way of getting the alarm running again without going inside, defeating the whole purpose.  
  
"Man, at this point, I don't care!!" Joey exclaimed.  
  
Seto grunted in reply. He wasn't sure it was the best thing to try doing, but they did need to get out of there. . . . It wasn't their fault they were locked in there; he was certain that someone had locked them in on purpose, for whatever reason. Before they left, however, he decided to investigate Byrnes' office. The man was obviously hiding something.  
  
"Where are you going, Kaiba?" Tea demanded, seeing him walking off.  
  
Seto went through the Employees Only door and disappeared down the long corridor on the other side.  
  
"Hey, wait for us!" Joey yelled, chasing after him.  
****  
"I don't see any way out," Bakura sighed.  
  
"Man, this is crazy!" Tristan exclaimed. "Why aren't there any clerks or anyone around?"  
  
"They surely couldn't have all gotten away that fast," Bakura declared. "Something isn't right here!"  
  
Yugi nodded grimly. "Someone wanted us to come here so they could lock us in," he said.  
  
Suddenly a hideously loud sound blasted out around the store and everyone froze in shock. "What IS that?!" Joey screamed, covering his ears.  
  
"It's deafening!" Tea shrieked. Seto's eyes narrowed in vexation.  
  
A nearby lamp fell off a table and shattered.  
  
"Someone's playing a stereo at full blast!" Yugi screamed.  
  
"Man, they need to turn it down before we all shatter like that lamp did!" Tristan exclaimed.  
  
Bakura covered his ears as Joey had, grimacing at the earth-shaking noise.  
  
Then, as abruptly as it started, it stopped.  
  
"You can take your hands off your ears now," Seto said wryly.  
  
"WHAT?" Joey yelled. Tea rolled her eyes and pried Joey's hands away. The blonde boy blinked, looking around. "Oh," he said in a normal voice.  
  
"What was that infernal racket?!" Yami Bakura demanded, emerging from the Ring.  
  
"I can't imagine," Bakura replied.  
  
"But this means someone else must still be in here," Yugi said slowly. "The stereo couldn't have turned on and off by itself!"  
  
Yugi's group quickly went off to find the electronic department, but when they arrived, nothing looked out of place.  
  
"This stereo doesn't look like it's been touched all evening," Bakura remarked.  
  
"Whoever was here got away in a hurry," Yami Yugi said.  
  
"But they havta still be in the store somewhere," Tristan declared, crossing his arms.  
  
Meanwhile, Seto had found Byrnes' office and was attempting to pick the lock.  
  
"Man, I hope that won't activate the alarm," Joey said.  
  
"It shouldn't," Seto replied, hearing a soft click. Without another word, he swung the door open and clicked on the light. Byrnes' office was the exact opposite of Thorton's—completely neat in every way.  
  
"Man, what a switch!" Joey exclaimed, gesturing around. "Nothin's out of place in here!"  
  
Tea cautiously went over to the desk and stared at it. "I wonder where he would put that picture," she mused.  
  
"He probably took it home with him," Seto decided, "but there might be something else here of use." He opened the filing cabinet and started going through it.  
  
"Find anything yet?" Joey asked, peeking over the other boy's shoulder.  
  
Seto didn't answer and continued to thumb through the files. Suddenly he stopped and pulled one out.  
  
"What? What is it?" Joey demanded, as he and Tea crowded around to see.  
  
Seto stared at the contents of the folder. It seemed to be a pack of photographs. He removed the top one for a closer look.  
  
It was a black-and-white shot of Mara and a woman—obviously her mother—boarding a train!  
  
"Isn't that the woman from the other picture?!" Tea burst out.  
  
"It is," Seto agreed. Quickly he turned to the Xerox machine in the corner and began making copies of all the photos, which were all of Mara and her mother on the train. "There might be some important clues we could find by studying these pictures closely," he explained.  
  
"Hey, man, that kid in the pictures—ain't she the same one who was hangin' out with you?" Joey said suddenly. He hadn't stopped to realize that earlier because he had been so startled to see the same frantic woman in the photos, but now he realized that the little girl was familiar as well.  
  
Seto was silent for a while, but then finally admitted that it was the same girl.  
  
"So how come she's taken such a likin' to you, anyway, Kaiba?" Joey asked.  
  
"Now that is none of your concern," Seto replied.  
  
"What do you think these pictures mean?" Tea wondered. "Is Byrnes a criminal?"  
  
"I would say they mean that we need to have a talk with Byrnes," Seto told her.  
  
"Yeah!" Joey agreed. "We should just go marchin' right up to him and confront him with what we've found!"  
  
"But we shouldn't say that we were poking around in here," Tea said. "He could have us arrested!"  
  
"Hey, it's not our fault he locked us in here!" Joey shot back.  
  
"I'm not so sure it was him," Seto said. "He did want us to leave. Why would he prevent us from doing so? He'd know we might find his secrets."  
  
"Nothin' makes sense!!" Joey cried in frustration.  
  
Suddenly Tea, who was at the door, gasped and turned off the light. "Someone's coming!" she declared. "And it's not Yugi or any of the others!"  
  
Quickly Seto grabbed Tea and Joey and herded them deeper into the shadows, behind the desk and filing cabinet.  
  
"They're comin' in," Joey announced.  
  
"Shut up, Wheeler," Seto growled. "They'll hear you!!"  
  
The intruder shined a flashlight around and then made their way over to the filing cabinet. After a brief search, they pulled out the folder with the pictures inside.  
  
Without thinking about it, Joey leaped up and tackled the person, bringing them to the floor. "Alright!! The jig's up!!" he yelled, and Tea clicked on the lights again.  
  
"What are you kids trying to do?!" a familiar voice yelled.  
  
The teens stared at the intruder in disbelief. It was Maureen! 


	8. New Clues

"Maureen?!" Joey cried, helping her up. "What the heck are you doin' here?!"  
  
The brunette woman pushed Joey away and dusted herself off, her eyes narrowing. "I'm an FBI agent," she announced finally.  
  
"FBI agent?" Seto wasn't about to believe it.  
  
"Maureen, I had no idea," Tea exclaimed. "Are you investigating Mr. Byrnes?" she asked.  
  
"Well . . ." Maureen stood, arms akimbo. "I don't know why I should tell you kids anything, unless you tell me why you're snooping around in here."  
  
"Fair enough," Yami Yugi smiled, appearing on the scene along with Yugi, Bakura, and Tristan. He explained about the picture Byrnes had stolen and that they'd come to ask why he'd taken it. "Somehow we were locked in and we've been trying to find our way out ever since."  
  
"Who would lock you in?" Maureen demanded.  
  
"We don't know," Seto said, crossing his arms. "But now we've told why we're here, so you should keep your end of the bargain."  
  
Tea glared at Seto, thinking that that was no way to talk to an FBI agent.  
  
Maureen, however, seemed unruffled. "Fair is fair," she said. "I *am* investigating Byrnes. And these pictures here prove that he's the criminal I've been looking for."  
  
"What's the guy done?" Joey asked.  
  
"That's classified," Maureen replied.  
  
"We've been fooled by people sayin' they're FBI agents before," Joey stated.  
  
Seto nodded in agreement. "I don't think we'll believe you that easily. If you're investigating Byrnes, why are you working for Thorton? Your story doesn't really make sense."  
  
Maureen heaved a huge sigh. "Okay, you got me. I'm not very good at making up stories. I should've known better than to try fooling Seto Kaiba."  
  
"Why would you need to make one up at all?" Yugi asked, concerned. "Couldn't you just tell us the truth?"  
  
Maureen ran a hand through her hair, seeming to be considering how to answer. Finally she smiled weakly and seemed to relent. "You seem like trustworthy kids," she said slowly. "I know Tea is, at least, having worked with her the last few weeks. I guess I could tell you my story, but let's not stay in here." She turned to the door.  
  
Seto took the folder with the pictures and replaced it in the filing cabinet.  
  
"Hey, good thinkin'," Joey grinned. "We'll get everything back the way it was so's Byrnes won't know we was in here!"  
  
"He'll know we were anyway if there's a hidden camera anywhere around," Seto remarked.  
  
Joey messed up his hair in frustration. "Man, do you havta always be so negative?!"  
  
"I'm being realistic." Seto turned to walk away.  
****  
Maureen, it turned out, had used a remote control on the alarm system, and once everyone was safely out she used the remote to turn it back on again. "There," she said, and shrugged. "Now, everyone back to Toys, Etc." She led the way down the deserted corridors. The teens occasionally would pass a janitor hard at work, but otherwise met no one else.  
  
When they got back inside the store, Maureen shut the glass door tightly and locked it, then walked over to the counter and leaned against it.  
  
"Alright," Joey said impatiently, "what's the scoop?!"  
  
Maureen sighed. "Okay. Well, a few weeks ago I was waiting for a train after visiting with my grandparents. I happened to notice this guy taking pictures of this woman and little girl boarding another train and I couldn't figure out why he was doing it. Then suddenly my train arrived and as I boarded, I turned around for one last look—but the man was gone."  
  
"Kinda freaky," Joey remarked.  
  
"What's the rest of the story?" Seto asked.  
  
Maureen pushed herself up onto the countertop and let her legs dangle over the edge. "Well, I never could forget that incident. The mother had seemed so frantic, so anxious to get her daughter on the train. . . . I knew something strange was going on, but I didn't know what to do about it. I was drawn to them for some reason I couldn't identify.  
  
"Then I met the manager of Jim Eiffel Furniture a couple of weeks ago and realized that he had been the one taking those pictures. I casually asked him if he liked photography, but he abruptly said no and then disappeared into Thorton's office. I heard them yelling about something, but with all the customers I couldn't really pay attention to what it was all about."  
  
She crossed her arms and stared pointedly at Seto. "Then I saw you with her—the little girl. I was absolutely floored, but I knew better than to say anything at the moment."   
  
"Still don't explain what'd make you come in here," Joey remarked. "You didn't even know about those pictures in Byrnes' cabinet, did you? Or the ones in Thorton's office?"  
  
Maureen shook her head. "That's where you're wrong. I caught sight of the photo of the frantic woman in Thorton's office and knew instantly that she was the same one from the train station. And on the subject of Byrnes' pictures, I had been hoping for a long time to get into his office to check things out. I figured if those pictures were important—and I'm sure they are—he might've kept them somewhere in there." She paused. "Anyway, all I wanted was to get to the bottom of the mystery and find out what was up with that girl and her mother," she concluded. "I said I was an FBI agent because I was hoping you'd leave me alone and not report me to the police for breaking in here."  
  
The other teens nodded silently, Maureen's story seeming to make sense, but then Yugi exclaimed suddenly, "I just thought of something! If Thorton is mixed up in this, why didn't he recognize Mara when Kaiba carried her into the office?"  
  
"That is kinda weird," Joey agreed.  
  
Seto had, of course, thought of that as well. It was odd, but then so was everything about this case. "There's not much more we can do about this tonight," he said finally. In the morning he figured they could question Thorton and Byrnes again, but right now it was too late to do anything but go home and get some sleep. The other teens readily agreed and soon they all went their separate ways.  
****  
Joey chose to walk home by himself, and as he passed through the streets lit brightly with Christmas lights, he suddenly heard his name being called and turned around. A small boy around Mokuba's age was running through his snow-covered yard and over to the decrepit fence. "Joey! Hey!"  
  
Joey smiled and went over to his young friend. "Hey, Bobby," he returned, a bit puzzled. "What the heck are you doin' up so late? It must be almost one in the morning or somethin'!"  
  
Bobby shrugged. "Yeah, well, Mom is out working late at the diner again and so Annie and I decided we'd surprise her with a clean house." He grinned lopsidedly. "Boy, I never realized how long it took to get things straightened up around here!" Bobby and Annie's father had been injured while at his job, and so their mother had taken on a second job to help with the income while he was laid up at home.  
  
Joey laughed and tousled the boy's hair. "Yeah, but I bet you're developin' lots of muscles!"  
  
"Sure am!" Bobby agreed, and then paused. "So, what's going on with you, Joey? Why are *you* up so late?!"  
  
"Heh. You wouldn't believe me if I told you, kid!" Joey replied.  
  
"Come on, try me!" Bobby insisted.  
  
Briefly Joey explained about the day's events, while Bobby—and Annie, who had joined them—listened intently.  
  
"Stuffed animals came to life?" six-year-old Annie exclaimed, wide-eyed. "Were there any elephants?"  
  
Joey chuckled. "Yeah. Bakura got pinned down by one," he told them.  
  
After the laughing had died down, Bobby announced, "I see Mr. Thorton all the time. He lives across the street from us."  
  
Joey blinked. "You're pullin' my leg," he said.  
  
"Nope, it's for real," Bobby replied. "And comin' to think about it, I saw something really strange this morning!" His eyes gleamed, as if he was about to reveal a juicy secret.  
  
Joey's curiosity was instantly aroused. "Yeah? What'd you see?"  
  
"The police!" Bobby declared.  
  
Joey mouth dropped open. "At Mr. Thorton's place?!" he demanded, wanting to make sure he understood things correctly.  
  
"Yep!" Annie chimed in. "We both saw them!"  
  
"Did they arrest him?" Joey asked.  
  
"No," Bobby said slowly, "but they sure stayed there for a long time quizzing him about something! When they finally left and Mr. Thorton came out to drive to work, he looked even more jittery than usual—and you know how jittery he usually is!"  
  
"Heh, I sure do," Joey grinned, then sobered again. "You think the police really shook him up, eh?" He couldn't conceal his immense interest in all this.  
  
"They sure did!" Annie said with a firm nod.  
  
"I don't suppose you heard what they were quizzin' him about, did you?" Joey leaned on the fence and watched the kids hopefully.  
  
"No, but I'm sure we could find out!" Bobby grinned mischievously.  
  
"Bobby, it's not nice to spy!" Annie scolded.  
  
Joey concurred. As much as he wanted to crack this case, he didn't want to get these kids involved. "That's alright, Bobby," he said hurriedly. "I was just wonderin'." He turned to go. "I'd better let you kids get to bed."  
  
"Bye, Joey!" the kids chorused.  
  
"Come play with us again soon!" Annie added.  
  
"I will," Joey smiled, walking on down the street. So now he knew where Thorton lived. And the guy had been questioned by the police! Why? This could be a very important clue. He would have to speak with a friend he had at the police station and see what she could tell him.  
  
His thoughts turned to Bobby's family. He knew they probably wouldn't be having much of a Christmas this year, what with their limited income and the dad being hurt. He wondered if he could help in some way.  
  
He'd think more about all this tomorrow, he decided. Right now he just wanted a good night's sleep.  
****  
When Seto arrived back at the Kaiba Manor after taking Tea and some of the others to their homes, he discovered Mokuba and Mara were still wide awake in the living room. They seemed to jump in fright when they heard the door open.  
  
"What's going on?" Seto asked, and the two younger kids both looked up.  
  
"Big brother!" Mokuba exclaimed in delight, and he and Mara both ran to him and leaped into his arms. Seto was not used to holding two kids, and he was momentarily thrown off balance. He soon righted himself, however, and smiled at them both. "I'm so glad you're home, Seto," Mokuba declared, and Mara nodded in agreement.  
  
"I'm glad to be home," Seto replied. "Did anything strange happen while I was gone?" he asked, remembering how Mokuba and Mara had both acted scared when he'd opened the door.  
  
"Something sure did!" Mara said emphatically, shuddering. "Some weird person called on the phone and said . . ." She trailed off.  
  
"What did they say, kid?" Seto prompted gently.  
  
Mara gulped. "They . . . they said that . . . you should stop investigating into my Mommy's and Daddy's disappearing or . . ." She couldn't finish.  
  
"Big brother, they said they'd kill you!" Mokuba sobbed.  
  
Seto was appalled. "They came right out and said that to you and Mara?!" How could anyone be so evil as to upset little kids like that?! he thought angrily.  
  
Mokuba nodded, blinking back tears. "And then they just hung up," he concluded. "Seto, you've gotta be really careful!" he pleaded. "I can't lose you, big brother!"  
  
"I'll be careful, kid," Seto said tenderly. "Don't worry."  
  
Suddenly Mara screamed. "Some awful man is looking in the window!!" she shrieked. 


	9. Strange Assassin

Instantly Seto came to attention. He set the kids down and whirled around, staring into the inky blackness outside. "Where?!" he demanded. "I don't see anyone!"  
  
Mara peeked out cautiously. "They must've ran off!" she declared.  
  
Seto dashed to the front door. "You kids stay in here with Velma and Anna," he ordered. "I'm going after whoever it was."  
  
"Big brother!" Mokuba cried in horror, "You might get hurt!"  
  
"I'll be alright, kid," Seto replied, ruffling his brother's hair affectionately. "But you two be careful in here. There's no telling where that creep might show up next. Since he got past the alarms outside, he might try coming in." With that, the teenager disappeared into the dark night outside.  
  
"Do you think he'll be okay?" Mara sniffled.  
  
"Hey, my brother's the best!" Mokuba said confidently. Seto was his idol, and had been ever since the little boy could remember. But Mokuba knew that Seto wasn't invincible. The many terrible things the elder Kaiba had gone through in the past years attested to that, and the fact was, Mokuba was terrified that Seto would one day get into a predicament that he wouldn't be able to get out of.  
****  
Seto darted through the yard cautiously and paused behind one of the pine trees, listening. Faintly in the distance he could hear someone running through the snow and his eyes narrowed. Whoever was here had to be extremely desperate to be hanging around in this weather. There must be half a foot of powder on the ground by now!  
  
As quietly as he could, Seto got down and moved stealthily through the snow, hiding behind the trees. He could hear that he was getting closer to the other person.  
  
Suddenly a bullet tore through the air and went about an inch from Seto's head. The boy gasped, ducking down, and narrowly missed another shot fired at his heart. His eyes narrowed in anger and outrage and he fell forward into the snow, trying to avoid further shots. So whoever was out there knew he was there as well. And apparently they wanted to silence him for good. The mysterious caller hadn't been giving idle threats to Mokuba and Mara earlier that evening.  
  
"I know you're here, Seto Kaiba," a strange voice growled. It sounded as if the person was using a device to disguise their voice. "And soon I'm gonna see the snow here stained red with your blood!"  
  
"Not on your life," Seto growled in reply. "Who are you and why are you after me?!"  
  
"You don't need to know who I am," the man told him, and Seto could hear the gun click. "But you're gettin' too close to the truth and I can't have that." He fired again, and Seto darted behind a nearby shrub. A bullet whistled past his ear, so close that he could feel it tousle his hair as it zipped by. Suddenly getting an idea, Seto cried out in apparent pain and collapsed motionless into the snow.  
  
Silence reigned, then slowly the assassin crept closer and stared at Seto's body suspiciously. Then he kicked at the boy, and, not receiving a response of any kind, decided his work was finished. He turned around to flee before the cops arrived.  
  
Seto sprang to life! Catching the hitman by complete surprise, he tackled him and brought him down into the snow.  
  
"This must be your first assignment," Seto observed. "An experienced assassin wouldn't have fallen for such an old trick."  
  
The man gulped, shaking in fear. His gun had gone flying out of his reach and now this teenage boy had the upper hand. But who was he? He had thought he was attacking the billionaire Seto Kaiba! Had he just tried to kill some kid instead?! "Please . . . please don't kill me!" he cried.  
  
"Why not? You were going to kill me," Seto replied. He, of course, wouldn't have done such a thing, but he wanted to scare the hitman into revealing some information.  
  
"I got a wife and kids back home," the man quavered. "It'd tear 'em up if anything happened to me!"  
  
"Oh yeah?" Seto tightened his grip. "You know, I've got a little brother in there." He indicated the house. "I'm the only family he's got. I don't even want to think about what would happen to him if I was dead."  
  
The man shuddered. "Oh, please, kid, I didn't wanna kill you. I thought you were Seto Kaiba!" he insisted.  
  
Seto paused, blinking. "What are you talking about? I *am* Seto Kaiba!"  
  
The man was horrified. "But . . . but . . . you're only a kid!"  
  
Seto pulled the man to his feet. "What did you think I was?"  
  
The man allowed himself to be pulled up, and he wrung his hands frantically. "I . . . I . . . thought you were older," he admitted. "I . . . I didn't realize how young you were until you tackled me, and then I figured I must've made a terrible mistake! I figured you couldn't be Seto Kaiba!"  
  
"Oh, you made a mistake, alright," Seto agreed angrily. "Do you know how many years you can get for attempted murder?!"  
  
The man's eyes went wide. "My family and I . . . we . . . we didn't have any money," he tried to explain. "We were bein' kicked out of our house 'cause we couldn't keep up the payments. I . . . I kinda dabble in bein' a career criminal to . . . to get some extra money, you know? Bank jobs, jewelry heists, that kinda stuff."  
  
Seto wasn't impressed. "So then you got desperate and decided to become an assassin," he said in disgust. "You're the scum of the earth!"  
  
"I'd . . . I'd never hurt a kid," the man insistently stammered.  
  
"Oh, but killing someone older is okay?" Seto couldn't believe what he was hearing.  
  
"N-no . . . that's not what I said!" the man protested.  
  
Seto shook his head. "You revolt me!" he declared, dragging the hitman with him. "Come on. You're going to tell your story to the police."  
  
"The police?!" the man cried. "No! No, my family can't find out about this! They . . . they don't know about my little sidejobs, and I sure as heck could never tell them somethin' like this!"  
  
Seto's eyes narrowed. "You should've thought of that before you decided to become an assassin. You've gotta be even crazier than I thought if you think I'd let you off the hook for this." He paused. "But first, there's something I want you to tell me here and now. Who hired you?"  
  
The man shook his head. "I . . . I don't know," he said.  
  
"Tell me!" Seto growled, certain that the man was lying.  
  
"Honest to Pete, I don't know," the man said again, more firmly this time. "We did business through one of his henchmen."  
  
Seto raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? And what did this henchman look like?"  
  
The man paused, thinking. "He . . . he was all muscular and tough," he remembered, "and he . . . he walked with a limp."  
  
Seto's eyes narrowed. That was the same man who had thrown him against the broken balcony! "How did you come into contact with him?" he demanded.  
  
"I . . . I just walked into this dumpy cafe where lots of my kind hang out and mentioned that I was lookin' for work," the man told him shakily, "and then this guy came over and said 'I've got a job for you. Meet me here after the place closes.' When I met him, he told me his boss wanted me to off Seto Kaiba before he got too nosy."  
  
"And that's it?" Seto didn't look convinced. "He just said that and you agreed to do it?"  
  
The man paused. "Well . . . I was kinda hesitant at first, 'cause you know, I ain't a murderer or anything like that, but when he told me how much his boss'd pay . . ."  
  
". . . You accepted," Seto finished, shaking his head. "You're sick."  
  
"You've gotta understand, Mr. Kaiba, sir," the man pleaded. "I didn't know what to do. . . ."  
  
Seto raised an eyebrow at him. "You said earlier how horrible your wife and kids would feel if anything happened to you. You never stopped to consider how they'd feel if they ever found out that you're a criminal and a would-be murderer, did you?!" He regarded the man coldly. "Things are never so bad that you have to stoop to murdering people to get money. That is outrageous and wicked. You're not even a civilized person."  
  
The man looked ashamed for the first time since Seto had caught him. "You're right, Mr. Kaiba," he admitted, looking defeated.  
  
"Now . . . are you going to come with me peacefully?" Seto held on to the man's arm fiercely.  
  
"I . . . I don't know," the man replied slowly. "I . . ."  
  
Before he could finish, a vicious knife tore through the air and stuck into a tree not half a foot away. Seto's eyes narrowed. "Apparently someone has discovered that you didn't do your job and they think you're letting the cat out of the bag. You'd better come with me if you want to stay alive."  
  
The man gulped, obviously subdued. "Alright, Mr. Kaiba," he agreed at last, "I'll come with you. But please, sir, do we havta tell my wife?"  
  
Seto looked hard at him. "Yes," he said firmly.  
  
The man gasped suddenly and doubled over, falling against Seto and knocking him off-balance. "Huh? What the . . ." The boy was startled.  
  
"Heart attack," the man choked out.  
  
Seto was about to ask if this was some kind of a joke, but when the man collapsed on the pavement and lay clutching at his chest, Seto knew it wasn't. Quickly he pulled out his cell phone and called 911, then knelt next to the hitman. "The ambulance will be here shortly," he told him.  
  
The man nodded shakily, his eyes glassy.  
  
At that moment, the door flew open and Mokuba stood there, his eyes wide. "Seto!" he cried. "Seto, are you okay?? You've been gone so long . . . and we . . . we heard those gunshots. . . ." A tear fell from his eye.  
  
Seto looked up. "Hey, it's alright, kid," he said comfortingly. "I'm fine." He paused. "But it's not safe for you to be out here, Mokuba. Go on back inside and I'll come in shortly. This man needs medical attention and I'm staying with him until the ambulance comes." He didn't want to say more than that.  
  
Mokuba watched his brother, who was tending to a strange man on the ground, and nodded shakily. "Okay, Seto," he agreed hesitantly, disappearing back inside.  
  
The paramedics arrived within five minutes and loaded the man onto a stretcher. He was still conscious and he looked at Seto. "The . . . the girl," he managed to say.  
  
Seto stared at him. "What girl?!" he demanded.  
  
"The . . . the one . . . in the . . . toy store. She . . . she's . . . in danger." The man's eyes closed and he fell unconscious.  
  
Seto felt confused. Did he mean Tea . . . or Maureen? And how did he know about the toy store?? He obviously hadn't told everything he knew.  
  
The man's family would need to be told what had happened, but Seto also realized that he didn't know the man's name. Quickly he spoke to one of the other paramedics, explaining the situation, then turned and went back inside.  
  
Instantly he was bombarded again with hugs from Mokuba and Mara. "What happened out there, big brother??" Mokuba cried.  
  
Seto paused. He didn't want to scare the kids, but he wasn't sure how to gloss over what had happened. "It's nothing you two need to worry about," he said finally, tousling both kids' hair.  
  
He could see that Mokuba especially wasn't convinced. "Someone tried to hurt you, didn't they, big brother?" he sobbed.  
  
There was no fooling his little brother, Seto thought ruefully. "Hey, they couldn't get the better of me," he said comfortingly. "But it must be almost three in the morning! You kids had better get to bed." He tried to sound stern.  
  
"Aren't you gonna go to bed, too, Mr. Kaiba?" Mara asked.  
  
Seto sighed. "I will, kid, but first I have to clear up some things." With that he disappeared into his computer room to try to unravel the mismatched clues.  
****  
Early the next morning, Yugi and the others met Tea at Toys, Etc. before the store opened and Joey told them what he had learned from Bobby and Annie.  
  
"No way!" Tristan cried in disbelief. "The police were at Thorton's place?!"  
  
"That's right," Joey nodded, happy to have some useful information to offer. "They must've thought he'd been up to somethin' crooked, and what's to say he wasn't?"  
  
"I don't know," Tea sighed. "Are you sure he'd be smart enough?" She hated saying such a thing, but the fact was, Mr. Thorton was extremely high-strung and absent-minded and one could hardly think that he would have the brains to pull off a criminal act.  
  
Joey shrugged. "Hey, he could just be pullin' an act," he suggested.  
  
"It's possible," Yugi agreed. "We need to find out what the police were questioning him about."  
  
Joey grinned triumphantly. "And I know just how we can! Remember my old friend on the police force?"  
  
"Of course!" Bakura exclaimed excitedly. Then he paused, blinking worriedly. "But will she be allowed to tell us that information?"  
  
"Hey, no prob," Joey said airily. "She and I go way back! She knows what a big help we've been on these recent mysteries. I'm sure she'd be only too happy to tell us everything!"  
  
"I hope you're right, Joey," Tea sighed, cleaning off a shelf.  
  
"Hey, Tea, where's Maureen?" Yugi asked suddenly, realizing that the dark-haired girl wasn't there.  
  
Tea paused, blinking. "Oh . . . she said something to Mr. Thorton about wanting a day off," she replied.  
  
"Eh, doesn't that strike you as kinda odd?" Joey said, scratching his head. "Why would she just pick up and decide she wants a day off?"  
  
"Hey, you've gotta remember, things have been pretty stressful around here lately," Tristan said with a shrug.  
  
"Yes, but Maureen's a hard worker," Joey pointed out. "She don't seem like the type to just up and skip out."  
  
"You know, you're right, Joey," Yugi agreed, "but maybe she was just exhausted from all the excitement and needed a break."  
  
Joey ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah. . . . You're probably right, Yug."  
  
"Well, anyway, we'll also need to talk with Mr. Thorton himself and Mr. Byrnes," Yugi reminded them. "It's going to be quite a full day!"  
  
"You've got that right, Yug," Joey sighed. "Man, I was hopin' to relax!"  
  
At that moment the phone rang. Tea stared at it. "We're not open yet," she observed. "It's too early for customers to call." Deciding it might be important, she lifted the receiver. "Hello, Toys, Etcetera," she greeted.  
  
"Tea?"  
  
She'd recognize that emotionless voice anywhere. "Kaiba!" Tea exclaimed in disbelief. "What's going on??"  
  
"Tea, you're in danger," Seto told her grimly.  
  
"Huh? What do you mean, Kaiba?" Tea demanded.  
  
"I don't have time to explain," Seto replied.  
  
"Kaiba, where are you??" Tea exclaimed.  
  
"Never mind that," Seto said in his usual, cold tone. "But you need to be on your guard. You . . ."  
  
Suddenly Tea heard a cry of pain and a dull crash. The line went dead. 


	10. Worried Search

Notes: Thanx for all your reviews, guys! ^^ They're all treasured and appreciated :)  
  
  
Tea pressed the dial tone button frantically. "Hello?? Hello?? Kaiba??!"  
  
"Man, Tea, what the heck happened??" Joey demanded, seeing how pale the girl looked.  
  
"That . . . that was Kaiba," Tea told them shakily.  
  
"We gathered that much," Bakura exclaimed, his deep brown eyes shining with concern.  
  
"He . . . he told me I was in danger, and then . . ." Tea gulped, trying not to let her worried emotions get the best of her. "I . . . I heard this painful scream. . . ."  
  
"Was it Kaiba?" Yugi asked, becoming more alarmed by the minute.  
  
Tea shook her head. "I . . . I don't know," she admitted, "but I think it was." Quickly she dialed the number for the Kaiba Manor and waited anxiously as the phone. Please! she said to herself. Answer!  
  
Finally the phone was picked up. "Hullo, Mr. Kaiba's place!" Velma chirped.  
  
"Oh, Velma, is . . . is your boss there?" Tea asked shakily.  
  
"He sure ain't," Velma sighed. "He was up all night workin' on somethin' or another and then he went out about an hour or so ago sayin' he had to check up on somethin'. You know him, when he puts his mind to somethin', he's gonna see that it gets done!"  
  
Tea nodded slowly, which was a ridiculous thing to do on the phone, she knew.  
  
"Mokuba and Mara are both here," Velma continued on. "They're gettin' worried about Mr. Kaiba and I've gotta admit, I am too!" she wailed suddenly.  
  
Tea did not feel like trying to comfort Seto's bawling maid. "Please, tell me," she begged, "do you have any idea where he might have gone?"  
  
"I'm sorry, miss, but I don't," Velma replied. "If'n I did, I'd have someone out lookin' for him right now! Oh, it's just so awful! Someone tried to kill him last night and . . ."  
  
"Someone tried to kill Kaiba?!" Tea exclaimed, horrified. The other teens perked up, staring at her.  
  
"No way," Tristan gasped.  
  
"They sure enough did!" Velma cried. With some more prodding from Tea, the maid eventually revealed everything she knew about that incident—which wasn't much—and then hung up shortly afterward.  
  
"She doesn't know where Kaiba is," Tea related to the others, who stood in worried silence for a time.  
  
Suddenly Yugi brightened and grabbed the phone. "I just thought of something we could try!" he exclaimed. He pressed the "O" button and after a brief wait, said, "Operator, can you please trace the last call that came in?" The others listened. "You can? Great!" Yugi exclaimed, then paused. "It will? Well, that's okay. Just call us back here when you find out!" After giving the operator the number, Yugi hung up and turned to the others. "She can do it, but it'll take a while," he sighed.  
  
"I have an idea," Bakura spoke up.  
  
"I'm willin' to hear it," Joey told him.  
  
"Perhaps some of us should stay here and wait for the operator to call back and the rest of us should go talk to Byrnes and Thorton," the British boy suggested.  
  
"That's a good idea, Bakura," Tea said, nodding. In the end they decided that Tea, Yugi, and Tristan would stay there, wait for the operator to call, and try to talk to Mr. Thorton when he came in. Meanwhile, Joey and Bakura would go find Byrnes.  
  
"It's certainly frightening, what's been happening lately," Bakura said, shaking his head worriedly. "I wonder what on earth Seto Kaiba's gotten himself into now!"  
  
Joey shrugged. "Eh, who knows?" he said airily. Though he was actually concerned, he would never admit it.  
  
As they walked down the long, winding corridors towards Jim Eiffel Furniture, Mai suddenly appeared out of nowhere, waving. "Hey! Joey! Bakura!" she called brightly.  
  
The boys looked up. "Hey, Mai," Joey returned the greeting, and Bakura waved back shyly. "You shoppin' again?"  
  
Mai came over and fell into step beside Bakura. "No, not this time," she replied. "I was just looking for you guys. Where's Yugi?"  
  
"He's back at the toy store," Joey told her. "We're goin' to question some weird guy."  
  
"More mystery stuff, huh?" Mai sighed. "Well, good luck, you two," she said, and soon disappeared into the crowd.  
  
Joey grinned. "Guess she's had enough of our oddball mysteries," he decided.  
  
"I suppose so," Bakura agreed.  
  
When they reached the furniture store, they found Byrnes just arriving and preparing to unlock the door. "What do you kids want now?" he asked sullenly, obviously remembering them from the previous night.  
  
"Hey, uh . . ." Joey scratched his head and then just decided to be blunt, which was easy for him. "We know you have pictures of that mysterious woman and her kid boarding a train!" he blurted.  
  
"Joey!" Bakura gasped.  
  
Byrnes turned purple. "You WHAT??!"  
  
"Yeah, see, someone locked us in your store last night and we happened to find those pictures in your filing cabinet while we were lookin' for a way out," Joey rushed on.  
  
Byrnes didn't seem to be listening. "I COULD HAVE YOU ARRESTED FOR TRESPASSING!!" he screamed. Shoppers walking by stopped to stare. Bakura wanted to drop through the floor.  
  
Joey shrugged. "Hey, it wasn't our fault someone locked us in your place," he said. "But I think you owe us some answers. Why the heck did you take that picture off Thorton's desk? And who is that lady?"  
  
"I DON'T HAVE TO TELL YOU ANYTHING!!" Byrnes yelled.  
  
"Hey, c'mon, why be so touchy?" Joey gestured wildly. "Unless you had somethin' to do with that lady's disappearance," he added, scrutinizing the man.  
  
"Joey, that's really quite enough!" Bakura scolded.  
  
"YOUNG MAN, ARE YOU ACCUSING ME OF ABDUCTION?!"  
  
By now a crowd of people had gathered around, all obviously wanting to know what was going on.  
  
"Of course he's not, sir," Bakura tried to speak up. "We simply want to get to the bottom of this and . . ."  
  
". . . And we're wonderin' if you know where ol' Kaiba's gotten himself to," Joey finished grandly.  
  
"HOW SHOULD I KNOW?!" Byrnes yelled. "IF YOU DON'T STOP POKING YOUR NOSES INTO MY BUSINESS, I'LL SIC EVERY LAWYER IN THE STATE ON YOU!!" With that the man stormed into the furniture store and slammed the door harshly behind him.  
  
"Oh my," Bakura winced. "Joey, you should have been a bit more discreet!" he scolded.  
  
Joey grinned. "I'd say that guy is actin' mighty suspicious, wouldn't you?" He turned around and discovered the crowd watching them. "Nothin' to see here," he called as he pushed through them, and Bakura followed uneasily.  
****  
Yugi, Tea, and Tristan weren't having any better luck. Mr. Thorton hadn't come in at all, and the operator hadn't called yet either.  
  
"Maybe she won't be able to trace the call," Tea fretted.  
  
"Hey, relax," Tristan said, laying a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure Kaiba's fine."  
  
"Well, I'm not sure!" Tea shot back. "He's probably gotten himself into some awful mess!"  
  
That's when the phone rang and Yugi snapped it up instantaneously. "Hello, Toys Etcetera," he greeted, just in case it was a customer.  
  
But it wasn't. "Hon, I got your call traced," the operator told him. "Your party was calling from 1125 Saratoga Lane."  
  
Yugi blinked. He didn't even know where that was. "Thank you," he stammered finally, and the operator hung up.  
  
"What did she say, Yugi?" Tea asked, and Yugi repeated the address.  
  
"Man, I've never heard of that place either," Tristan said, shaking his head.  
  
"You never heard of what place, Tristan?" Joey called as he and Bakura entered.  
  
"1125 Saratoga Lane," Tea informed them. "The operator said Kaiba was calling from there."  
  
Joey blinked. "Man, I know where that is," he declared. "It's a real creepy neighborhood. I don't know why the heck Kaiba would want to hang out there!"  
  
"Well, I'm sure he wasn't just 'hanging out there' for the fun of it," Tea retorted. "Let's go out there now!"  
  
"Don't you kinda need to stay here and watch the shop?" Joey asked, blinking.  
  
"That's already covered," a familiar voice replied, and Mai stepped out from the backroom.  
  
"Mai?!" Joey gasped. "You're gonna watch the place?!"  
  
Mai smirked. "Sure. Why not? I could use some extra money, so I just signed up as holiday help a few minutes ago. Now you boys and girls go on and find Kaiba!"  
  
"Thanks, Mai," Yugi smiled. "But be careful!" he warned.  
  
"Oh, I will," she assured him. "I just had my hair done and I don't intend to let a giant zebra mess it up again!"  
****  
"Man, Joey, you were right about this place," Tristan remarked when Joey brought his old, rusty car to a stop at the corner of Saratoga Lane. "This place is a dump!"  
  
"Heh, you can say that again," Joey smirked as he climbed out. The others did the same and they began walking up the cracked sidewalk.  
  
"How did you even know about this place anyway, Joey?" Yugi asked.  
  
Joey shrugged. "Hey, it's a shortcut to the arcade. But it's only fit for walkin' through during the day, and even then you need to watch your back!"  
  
Tea shuddered as they walked down the deserted, never-ending street. All of the buildings were dilapidated and broken and looked as if they might tumble to the ground at any given time. What on earth had Seto come here for? She remembered his warning message to her before the line had gone dead. Why would she be in danger?  
  
"I don't understand it," Yugi said suddenly, shaking his head. "I don't see an eleven twenty-five anywhere, and now we're at the end of the street!"  
  
"Could that be it over there?" Bakura ventured, pointing to a rundown home across the street. The numbers visible were 1 5, but it looked as though there had been two other numbers that had dropped off.  
  
"I think you're right, Bakura!" Yugi exclaimed, and soon he and the others had made their way over there.  
  
"Sure ain't nobody home," Joey observed, peering through the dirty window. "Come on, let's go see what's cookin'!" With that he opened the unlocked door casually and strolled in. The others followed more apprehensively, looking around.  
  
"Well, somebody's sure sloppy," Tristan commented, pointing to a loaf of moldy bread on the end table. Tea stared at it in disgust and quickly averted her gaze.  
  
Yugi, who had wandered into the bedroom, suddenly let out a gasp.  
  
"What is it, Yug?!" Joey asked, running into the room. He stopped short, gaping in disbelief. "Oh man. . . ."  
  
Bakura also came in, and his eyes went wide in shock and horror. "Oh my," he exclaimed, not sure of what else to say.  
  
"What's going on in here, guys?" Tea yelled, appearing with Tristan at the door. "Did you find . . ." She trailed off, her eyes as wide as saucers.  
  
The wall seemed to be a shrine to her. Someone had taken snapshots of her in just about every pose they could think of. There she was in her Domino High School uniform, writing at her desk. And there she was playing the arcade dancing game from several months before. There was even a picture of her in the Toys, Etc. uniform, helping a customer. Written across the photo of Tea in her school uniform was, "Mine! She's all mine!"  
  
Tea gasped, turning pale.  
  
"Who would do such a thing?!" Tristan exclaimed indignantly.  
  
"I don't know, but they sound dangerous," Yugi said grimly. He looked up at Tea, concerned. "Are you okay, Tea?" he asked.  
  
Tea nodded shakily. "I . . . I think so," she said finally.  
  
"Maybe ol' Kaiba found out who was behind this weird stuff," Joey suggested, going over to a nearby wardrobe. "Hey, I wonder what's in here. . . ." He pulled on the door. "Hey, it's stuck," he said in confusion.  
  
"Pull harder," Tristan replied, and they both pulled. Suddenly the doors flew open with such a force that Joey and Tristan were thrown back against the wall. Tea let out an ear-piercing shriek.  
  
Seto's body had tumbled out! 


	11. Gone!

Tea felt dizzy. First the shrine and now this. . . . Had Seto been trying to tell her about this mysterious stalker when he had suddenly been silenced . . . maybe permanently?  
  
Yugi and Bakura were equally horrified, as were Joey and Tristan when they picked themselves up off the floor. "Man, what the heck happened to him?" Joey gasped. "He looks like a stiff!"  
  
"Joey!!" Yugi scolded, kneeling next to the lifeless boy worriedly and summoning his Yami.  
  
Tea was standing in the corner, still shaking, feeling unable to move. "Yugi," she cried, "is he . . . is he . . . dead?!" She had to know, and yet she dreaded the answer.  
  
Yugi was silent as he listened for a heartbeat and then he looked up, relieved. "He's alive," he reported, "but I think someone hit him very hard. He has a bad bump on his head."  
  
"Poor Kaiba," Tea whispered, relieved beyond measure that the boy was alive, but horrified that he had been hurt. Shakily she also knelt next to his still body and looked into his pale face. "Kaiba?" she asked, smoothing his bangs back and accidentally touching the bump under his thick, soft hair. "Oh please wake up!" she sobbed.  
  
"Hey, he'll be okay," Joey tried to comfort her.  
  
Tea shook her head. "He . . . he was trying to warn me, and . . . and . . . someone hurt him because of it," she wailed.  
  
Seto moaned softly as if he was in a lot of pain.  
  
"Oh Kaiba . . ." Tea bent over the boy in concern. "I . . . I'm so sorry! . . ."  
  
The boy had slipped back into silence, but he was breathing regularly, and that was a relief. Yugi nodded, satisfied. "He'll be alright," he said, straightening up.  
  
Tea nodded, anxiously waiting for the injured boy to awaken. "Kaiba? Can . . . can you hear me?" she asked, taking his hand.  
  
Seto's eyes opened slowly. "I can hear you," he rasped, and noticed the girl's hand wrapped around his own. He blinked in confusion and Tea pulled her hand away, looking embarrassed.  
  
"Are . . . are you okay?" Tea asked.  
  
Seto blinked, trying to clear his mind. Where was he? Why was he laying on the floor with Tea kneeling next to him looking so worried? He couldn't seem to remember what had happened, but he didn't especially want to admit that.  
  
Yugi could tell from the look in the other boy's eyes, however. "Do you know where you are, Kaiba?" he asked.  
  
Seto raised himself up on one elbow, rubbing the bump on his head. "I . . ." He glanced around and caught sight of the shrine on the wall. Suddenly everything came back. "Yes," he said firmly. "But what are you doing here?!" he demanded.  
  
"Lookin' for you, man," Joey replied with a shrug.  
  
Seto grunted. "It's not safe here," he scolded, trying to stand up.  
  
"You should know," Tristan remarked. "I take it someone clobbered you while you were on the phone?"  
  
Seto's eyes narrowed. "That's beside the point. We need to get out of here now."  
  
"Fine with me," Joey exclaimed.  
  
"Can you walk?" Tea asked, looking Seto up and down.  
  
"Of course I can," Seto replied, sounding irritated. He took a step forward and felt a bit dizzy, but he tried to blank the feeling out of his mind. He would just have to walk it off.  
  
"Do you know who erected that, um . . ." Bakura trailed off.  
  
"Creepy shrine to Tea?" Joey finished, and Tea shuddered.  
  
"No, I don't," Seto replied shortly.  
  
"But what brought you out here anyway?" Tristan asked as they walked down the hall and outside, where a light snow had started to fall.  
  
"An investigation." Seto wasn't feeling very talkative—not that he ever was. He had done a search on his computer for all cafes in the area that attracted bad crowds, had located the one the would-be assassin had been at, and had found out the address of the thug who had hired the man when he'd driven out there himself to question people. He didn't know the henchman's name, but he decided the address was good enough to start with, and so he had driven out to the neighborhood, found the Tea shrine in the rundown house, and decided that the criminal was right about her being in danger. He had been knocked unconscious before he had been able to finish delivering the message to Tea, and his eyes narrowed in anger at the memory. "I may not know the man's name, but I believe it's the same one who was in the toy store the other day," he said finally.  
  
"The one who threw you off the balcony?!" Tea gasped.  
  
"That's right," Seto said with a curt nod.  
  
"But why would he be interested in me?" Tea cried. "He could've killed me with that crate he threw!"  
  
"As usual, nothing makes sense," Tristan groaned.  
  
"Maybe he only just got interested in you recently?" Joey suggested. "Like, after he threw the crate?"  
  
"Then how do you explain pictures of me from even before Battle City?" Tea retorted.  
  
They walked in silence for a bit. "Hey, Yug, what do you think's goin' on?" Joey asked.  
  
Yugi, who had been quiet for some time now, looked concerned. "I don't know," he said finally.   
  
"And how does this tie in with the other cases? Or have we gotten mixed up in an entirely different mystery now?" Tea wondered.  
  
"I think they're all connected," Yugi replied slowly, "but I don't know how yet." He paused. "I only know that we need to find out quickly."  
****  
Mokuba and Mara were playing Monster Capsule back at the manor when they heard the front door open.  
  
"Do you think that's your brother?" Mara asked hopefully.  
  
"I don't know," Mokuba replied, standing up and going to the door. "Seto?" he called. "Big brother?"  
  
There was no response, but suddenly the boy heard a scream and a thump down the hall and he came back into the room, his heart pounding. "That isn't Seto," he said grimly, locking the door.  
  
"It's not?" Mara gasped. "Is it a bad man?"  
  
Mokuba nodded shakily. "I think he just hurt Velma," he exclaimed. "And since Seto told her not to open the door unless she was absolutely certain who it was, they must've picked the lock or something to get in!"  
  
"What're we gonna do?" Mara cried fearfully, clutching the locket around her neck.  
  
"We've gotta get out of here," Mokuba told her.  
  
"We can't hide somewhere in the house?" Mara said in horror.  
  
Mokuba shook his head. "There's a secret room, but we can't get to it from here, and that guy's coming down the hall right now." He paused. "Wait! There is another door in here. If we can just . . ."  
  
He had no time to finish his sentence before the doorknob was rattling. "He knows we're here!" Mara said, wide-eyed.  
  
"Then come on!" Mokuba grabbed her hand and ran toward the other door. But when he turned the knob, another evil-looking man was standing there.  
  
"Sorry, kids," he sneered. "Looks like you're surrounded!"  
  
The two children backed up, horrified.  
  
"What do we do?" Mara cried. Now they couldn't go out either door!  
  
Mokuba thought fast. "Hang on to me!" he ordered and ran to the window. Throwing it open, the boy jumped out and pulled Mara with him. The little girl screamed as they plummeted towards earth and landed in the snow not far below. "They're still coming for us!" Mokuba said grimly, looking around. There was nowhere for them to run, and he could hear the men running down the stairs and heading for the door.  
  
"What do we do?" Mara asked.  
  
Mokuba turned to the girl and looked her right in the eyes. "I have a plan," he said, and quickly proceeded to tell her what was on his mind.  
  
Mara's eyes went wide. "No!" she protested. "No! You can't make me go along with that!!"  
  
"It's the only way," Mokuba said, hearing the door open and standing up.  
  
Mara began to cry, knowing the boy was really going to do it.  
****  
When everyone got back to the better part of the city, Joey suggested they drive over to Bobby's place and see what was happening with Mr. Thorton across the street, since Yugi had called Mai and she had said that the man still hadn't come in.  
  
"That's fine with me," Tea said as Joey turned the car in that direction. "I wish we could get this mystery solved before Christmas!"  
  
"Perhaps we can," Yugi said slowly.  
  
Seto didn't say anything, but Tea knew that the blue-eyed boy was determined to solve his own mystery, which seemed—as usual—to be tangled up with theirs.  
  
Actually, what was going through Seto's mind at the moment was a horrible feeling that something was terribly wrong. He couldn't reach his cell phone when they were all cramped into Joey's tiny car, but he intended to call home just as soon as he could. "Please let them be safe," he prayed fervently.  
****  
Bobby was helping his mother carry groceries into the house. When he saw Joey and the others pull up, he brightened and waved. "Hi, Joey!" he called. "I'll be right with you!"  
  
While they waited, Seto took out his cell phone and dialed his home phone number, but no one answered. "That's strange," the boy muttered, his eyes narrowing.  
  
"What is it?" Bakura asked.  
  
Seto put the cell phone away, looking concerned. "No one answered at home," he replied. "Something must be wrong."  
  
After taking the milk into the house, Bobby came back out and exchanged a high-five with his friend. "Hey, kid," Joey grinned. "How's life today?"  
  
"Things are great!" Bobby chirped. The boy was always cheerful, even tho he had a lot he could be depressed and sad about, what with his family's current situation and all. He greeted all of the other teens enthusiastically. Bobby had met them all at one time or another, even Seto Kaiba.  
  
"So, uh, have you seen Mr. Thorton today?" Joey asked. "He hasn't shown up for work today."  
  
Bobby scrunched his face up in thought. "I saw him loading stuff into his car," he reported.  
  
The teens were shocked. "What?!" Tristan, Yugi, and Bakura exclaimed.  
  
"He was packing up to leave for somewhere?!" Tea cried in disbelief.  
  
"Sure seemed to be," Bobby nodded. He paused, looking sheepish. "And . . . I don't think he's planning to come back any time soon."  
  
"What makes you say that?" Seto asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
Bobby dug the toe of his shoe into the snow guiltily. "Well . . . I tried to talk to him, but he was all nervous and wouldn't give me a straight answer," he reported. "So after he left, I kinda . . . Well, I . . ."  
  
"You went up and looked in the window of the guy's house," Joey deduced.  
  
Bobby nodded. "Well, yeah. And . . ." He paused. "And I saw all the furniture was covered up with sheets!"  
  
"Oh man," Tristan sighed. "So now the guy's skipped town!"  
  
"That's bad," Yugi said, shaking his head. "It makes it look like he's running from something."  
  
"Maybe even the police," Tristan added, voicing Yugi's thoughts.  
  
"What's the next step in your investigation?" Bobby asked, interested.  
  
"I guess we should talk to Joey's police officer friend," Yugi said slowly.  
  
Bobby grinned. "Sounds like fun! I wish I could come along, but . . . I promised Mom I'd watch Annie while she takes a nap," he finished.  
  
Joey laid a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Well, why don't you and Annie both come along?" he suggested. "We shouldn't be runnin' into any big dangers at a police station, after all!"  
  
Bobby's face lit up. "Really? We could come?" he exclaimed.  
  
"Sure, if your mom says it's okay," Joey told him, and the boy sprinted into the house to ask. Joey turned back to the others. "Bobby's a good kid," he said. "He needs a chance now and then to still be able to be one and not havta act so grownup all the time."  
  
Seto didn't make a reply to that and said instead, "Just how do you propose to fit everyone in your junkheap of a car, Wheeler?" It had been enough of a squeeze for the six teens to ride in the old car, which was really made for only four people. Joey, Yugi, and Tristan had been jammed in the front, while Bakura, Tea, and Seto had been crowded into the back. There was no way they could take two little kids with them as well without having a bigger car. What's more, Seto knew, they could get a ticket for riding around that way, especially when they'd be right at a police station.  
  
"Hey! My car's not a junkheap!" Joey yelled defensively, completely ignoring the question. Seto sighed and took out his cell phone to call his limo.  
  
While he was at it, Seto decided to try calling home again. The phone rang for the longest time but still no one ever picked it up. "Something *is* wrong," the boy said grimly to himself, vowing to drive out there the moment the limo arrived.  
  
That's when Bobby came running back out with Annie. "Mom says it's okay!" he beamed.  
  
"Hey, that's great!" Joey grinned.  
  
When the limo arrived shortly afterward, Seto told the chauffeur that they had to check in with the kids before driving to the station, and so they headed up into the ritzy part of the city.  
  
Bobby and Annie looked at the spectacular mansions in awe. "Wow," the boy exclaimed. "These places are so big!"  
  
"You could play hide-and-seek for hours in 'em!" Annie added excitedly.  
  
At last the limo pulled up in front of the Kaiba Manor and Seto got out. Before he could protest, everyone else had as well. Seto, however, was more worried about the welfare of Mokuba and Mara than having a procession, so he went up to the porch and opened the door and seemed to not care that seven others were following him. "Hello?" the boy called, looking through the parlor. He gasped at the sight before him.  
  
Velma was laying on the couch, an ice pack on her head. Off to the side, Anna was trying to comfort Mara, who was sobbing uncontrollably. Mokuba was nowhere to be seen.  
  
"What's happened in here?" Seto demanded.  
  
"Oh, Mr. Kaiba, I'm so sorry!!" Mara wailed. "I . . . I tried to stop him, but . . ."  
  
"What?" Seto asked, feeling frantic now.  
  
"Mr. Kaiba, Mokuba's gone!" Mara cried. 


	12. Mistaken Identity

Seto's heart sank. He had known something was wrong, but he had never imagined it would be something like this. Why would someone take Mokuba? Mara had the information they wanted.  
  
Quickly he knelt next to the little girl and looked into her eyes. "How did it happen, Mara?" he asked pleadingly. "Tell me!"  
  
Tearfully Mara explained about the creepy men and the escape out the window. "They were still coming after us and there was nowhere we could run to. Mokuba had a plan, and I begged him not to do it, but . . . but . . ." She started to cry again.  
  
Seto brushed her tears away. "Please, kid, what was his plan?" Knowing his brother, he had a pretty good idea of what it was.  
  
"Well . . ." Mara took a deep breath and tried to get control of herself. "We . . . we both wear lockets, and . . . and Mokuba decided that since the paper everyone seems to want is in my locket, he'd pretend that he had it in his. He . . . he pulled out a paper he'd written something on and stuck it in his locket, making sure those awful men saw him do it. I . . . I guess those men didn't know what I looked like or anything, because . . . they . . . they fell for it! I . . . I tried to stop them . . . I said that I was the one they wanted, but they thought I was a decoy!" The little girl collapsed into Seto's arms, sobbing. "They took Mokuba!"  
  
Seto held the child, his eyes filled with pain. It was as he had feared—Mokuba had sacrificed himself to save Mara. His brother had obviously been considering the possibility that he might have to do that for a while, since he had had a fake paper all prepared. Mokuba, where are you? Seto cried in despair. Then the old determination came back. He would find his brother—he had to!  
  
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Kaiba," Mara wailed. "It's my fault!"  
  
Seto shook his head. "No, kid, it's not. You tried. We'll get him back," he vowed. He paused. "Can you tell me what those men looked like?"  
  
Mara paused, wiping her eyes. "One of them was blonde and muscular, like that guy in the movies," she said shakily. "And the other had dark hair and a gun!"  
  
"A real gun?" Bobby gasped, and suddenly Seto remembered he had an audience.  
  
"I'm sure it was," Mara told him. The poor girl was practically in hysterics. "What if they use it? What if they hurt Mokuba when I'm the one they really wanted?"  
  
Seto's heart broke. He had thought about this too, but he couldn't think about such horrible possibilities. He had to cling to the hope that they would keep Mokuba safe. But, he realized in horror, once they discovered that Mokuba did not have the information they wanted, there was no telling what they might do to him. "Mara," he said gently, "can you tell your story to the police? The sooner they know everything, the sooner Mokuba can get found." And of course, Seto himself would be searching for his brother.  
  
Mara's eyes went wide and she became unexplainably terrified. "No!" she shrieked. "No! They'll hurt him! They'll HURT HIM!!"  
  
The teens gasped, wide-eyed and confused. "Mara," Yugi tried to tell her, "the police will help Mokuba!"  
  
"No!" Mara said emphatically. "They'll hurt him!! Oh, they'll hurt him!!" She buried her face in Seto's trenchcoat and sobbed.   
  
Seto held her for a while, trying in vain to calm her down, and then finally suggested that Anna take her upstairs for a nap.  
  
Mara nodded slowly, but as Anna carried her upstairs, the child screamed, "Please don't tell the police! Please!!"  
  
"Man," Joey said when she was out of hearing range, "what the heck's the matter with her?"  
  
"She was obviously terrified at the thought of the police being called," Tea mused. "But why?"  
  
"Perhaps a police officer did something to violate her trust," Bakura suggested softly.  
  
Seto nodded. Something was very wrong. Mara hadn't told him what she'd done during the three weeks between the time when her mother disappeared and when Seto had found her in the alley. He would have to see what she could tell him later. But for now, he knew he had to tell the police about Mokuba.  
  
He turned to Velma. "Do you remember what happened?" he asked, after making sure she was alright.  
  
Velma nodded, adjusting the ice pack. "It was horrible, Mr. Kaiba!" she declared. "Some horrible man busted through the door and came right at me!"  
  
"Do you remember any distinguishing characteristics about him?" Seto wanted to know.  
  
The Southern maid paused, thinking. "Well, he had dark hair and cold brown eyes," she said. "Oh! and an awful scar all the way from above his left eye to down by his mouth!" she said, demonstrating by drawing a line with her finger down Seto's face. "And he had an odd tattoo on his right hand," she remembered. "I know 'cause he used his right hand to hit me with that old flower pot and I caught a glimpse of the artwork!"  
  
"What did the tattoo look like?" Seto asked, choosing to ignore the fact that Velma had used him for her demonstration of the scar.  
  
"It was a . . ." Velma blinked, seeming to be trying to figure out how to best describe it. "It was one of them mythology critters," she said at last. "The one with all those heads, you know?"  
  
"The hydra," Seto replied, nodding. "Do you feel well enough to come with us to the police station and tell them what you saw?" he asked.  
  
Velma jumped up, a fiery look in her eyes. "I sure do!" she declared. "Don't worry, Mr. Kaiba, sir! We'll get Mokuba back!"  
  
"We certainly will," Seto said with finality. He paused. "Did Anna see the man too?"  
  
"No," Velma said, shaking her head. "She was cleanin' up the attic, but she heard the commotion and came down. But by that time, those men had taken poor little Mokuba!"  
  
"Come on, then," Seto said, leading Velma outside. "Let's not waste a minute getting to the police station."  
  
"Eh, what're you gonna do about Mara?" Joey asked.  
  
Seto's eyes narrowed. "I'll post security guards around and see if I can get a couple of plainclothesmen to watch the place without her knowing who they are. When I get back, I'll try to find out why Mara's so terrified of the police."  
****  
Mokuba's heart was pounding as he was shoved violently into an unmarked van and to the floor. An evil-looking man in a business suit stood over him, holding a deadly revolver. "You can't run from us forever, kid," he sneered. "Now we've got you too and there's no one to help you or your parents!"  
  
Mokuba couldn't believe that these guys didn't even realize that they had the wrong kid. Maybe if he didn't say anything, they wouldn't find out that he was really a boy and not the girl they were after. He supposed his long hair helped to disguise him, but it still seemed strange that they wouldn't have been given a detailed description of the runaway. He curled into the corner and stared at the man defiantly.  
  
"Tough little brat, aren't you?" the man grinned. "You won't be so tough when we're done with you!"  
  
My big brother will stop you! Mokuba thought in his mind, but he didn't dare say it out loud. He hoped Mara was safe.  
  
"Once you give us the information we know you have, you can see your parents again," the man continued on with an evil smirk. "You can die with them!"  
  
Mokuba's eyes widened, but he still remained mute. Please come soon, big brother! he pleaded silently.  
****  
At the police station, Joey found his friend—Officer Gabrielle Valesquez—and Seto told her about Mokuba's abduction in private. The others willingly let him, knowing that this was more important at the moment than whatever Mr. Thorton was up to. Seto and Velma told the policewoman in detail about everything that had happened—at least as much as they knew—and then Seto mentioned how terrified Mara had been when he had mentioned the police. Gabrielle promised to send plainsclothesmen to the house and told Seto to find out the reason for Mara's fears as soon as possible, which of course he had been planning to do anyway. Gabrielle also said that Velma's description of the one man sounded like the Hydra, a notorious criminal whose nickname came from the odd tattoo on his hand.  
  
When they rejoined the others some time later, Joey asked her about Mr. Thorton. "We think he might be mixed up in all this 'cause he had a picture of Mara's mom on his desk . . . or at least he did until Byrnes stole it," Joey added.  
  
Gabrielle nodded. "We thought he was mixed up in it too," she said, "especially after our informant told us about the picture."  
  
"Informant?" Yugi repeated.  
  
"Yes, but I can't tell you who it is," Gabrielle replied. "Anyway, we went out to question him, but he wasn't very open with us. He was obviously distressed when he knew that we thought he might be a criminal and flatly denied any involvement with the disappearances, but he never denied that he knew Mara's parents, or that he had the picture. We requested that he stay here in town until we could sort things out, but apparently he has decided to leave anyway." She looked annoyed about this. "This makes him look very suspicious. I'm putting an APB out on him immediately," she declared.  
  
Yugi nodded. "A wise decision."  
****  
"We're here, kid," the man sneered, grabbing Mokuba and pulling him up.  
  
Mokuba still made no reply. Sooner or later, they would discover that he didn't have the real information, and then they would go after Mara for sure. And what would they do to him? He hated to think of it, but he knew they weren't likely to let him live.  
  
"Silent little cuss, aren't you?" the man remarked, lifting Mokuba out of the van and making a grab for his locket. The boy clutched it protectively, knowing that he needed to fully play his part.. He looked around, realizing that they were in a ritzy area of some sort. However, it wasn't likely that they were in Domino City anymore, and he wondered how far from home he was.  
  
The man dragged Mokuba up the walkway of a large mansion and through the double doors. After taking him through the nicely-furnished home for a while, the man opened a door and dumped Mokuba on the floor of what seemed to be a private office with a walk-in safe in the corner.  
  
"Well, well. Who's this?" a stern-looking older man asked, looking over the desk at Mokuba.  
  
"The kid, sir," the man with the gun replied. "See, she has the locket."  
  
Mokuba bristled at being called "she," but he knew he couldn't say something and blow his cover.  
  
"This is the kid?" The older man came around the desk and hauled Mokuba to his feet, staring at him. Mokuba stared back defiantly. "I thought her hair was shorter."  
  
"But sir, she has the locket," the first man pointed out.  
  
The older man nodded. "True, she does. Leave us now."  
  
The first man also nodded and then left, shutting the door behind him.  
  
The older man now smiled, ruffling Mokuba's hair. "Now. You think you're very clever, don't you?"  
  
Mokuba backed up, not liking the touch of the man's cold hand on his head. He blinked, narrowing his eyes.  
  
"Now, child, speak," the man ordered. When Mokuba still didn't reply, the man waved a forefinger at him reprovingly. "Come now. I'm not as dense as my henchmen. I know you're a boy."  
  
Mokuba was startled. "You . . . you do?" he demanded.  
  
"Of course. You're Seto Kaiba's little brother." The man grabbed the boy's locket, pulling Mokuba unwillingly towards him. "However, I suppose it's possible that Mara gave the information to you. Unlikely, but possible." He yanked the locket off from around Mokuba's neck before he could stop it. "Mara was very frantic to stop my men from taking you, I'm told. Perhaps it's because you have the real information?"  
  
Mokuba was silent, narrowing his eyes.  
  
The man smiled wickedly. "We'll check it out, but if we discover you've cooked something fake up, your brother will suffer for it."  
  
"No!" Mokuba cried, unable to keep still with that declaration. "You can't hurt him!!"  
  
The man sneered, grabbing Mokuba fiercely and dragging him to the safe across the room. Opening the unlocked door, he shoved the boy in. "I'll do whatever I please," he hissed, "so you had better start praying for a miracle if you want your precious brother to survive. You'll remain here while I see if the paper is real or a fake, and then your fate will be decided, as will your brother's and your little friend's." With that, the door slammed shut and locked. Mokuba was plunged into darkness.  
  
For ages afterward, the boy sat shivering in the cold safe, hugging his knees. "Please, God," he sobbed, "please don't let my brother and Mara get hurt!"  
  
He knew he had to stay awake. If he fell asleep in there, it wasn't likely that he would ever wake up again.  
  
After what seemed like hours, Mokuba heard movement outside the safe and he tensed fearfully. When the heavy door creaked open, the older man was standing there, looking angry enough to bite through metal. "Well, kid, the code you were carrying is a fake," he growled. "And what happens now isn't going to be pretty." 


	13. Mafia Don

The group of kids left the police station shortly after Gabrielle's declaration to put out an APB on Mr. Thorton. It was snowing again, and it would have been the picture-perfect Christmas scene if everyone wasn't so worried about Mokuba and the entire mystery.  
  
"Eh, I guess you're goin' back to talk to Mara now, huh?" Joey asked Seto as they got into the limo.  
  
"That's right," Seto nodded.  
  
"The police station was cool," Bobby said, and Annie nodded in agreement. "But I sure hope you find your brother, Mr. Kaiba," he added.  
  
"I will," Seto replied determinedly. He only prayed it wouldn't be too late when he did.  
  
Soon the others had been dropped off at Bobby's house and Seto was preparing to leave for his own home. The others could take Joey's car from there, he decided. Of course there were only four seats in the car and five teens who would try to ride in it. And it was snowing. What if they were cramped so tightly in the car that they got into an accident? Seto sighed. "Come with me, Tea," he said finally.  
  
Tea looked up, blinking in surprise. "Huh?"  
  
"I'll take you home. Come on." Seto regarded her with his usual emotionless expression.  
  
Tea hesitated for only a moment. She didn't especially want to take another ride in that crowded car of Joey's, nor did she want to wind up in a car crash. After saying goodbye to Yugi and the others, she climbed into the limo. "I should probably go back to the store actually," she said slowly. "I shouldn't just leave Mai there all day."  
  
Seto grunted. "Very well."  
  
Tea paused, thinking. "Of course with Mr. Thorton gone, I don't really know what I should do," she said at last. "Maybe I should just close the store until I know more what's going on." She didn't really expect Seto to answer that and so when he was silent, she wasn't surprised.  
  
Now Tea stole a glance at the boy, who was staring out of the tinted window, a faraway look in his blue eyes. She knew he was thinking about Mokuba and wondering if he was okay. She wished she knew how to help find him. "Kaiba?" she said softly, laying a hand on Seto's shoulder.  
  
Seto turned to look at her. "What?"  
  
"I . . . I don't think I've had a chance to thank you for warning me about that stalker," Tea said softly. "You put yourself in a lot of danger to do that, and . . . I just wanted you to know how grateful I am."  
  
Seto again didn't answer, but he nodded in acknowledgment.  
  
"And . . ." Tea paused. "You'll find Mokuba," she declared finally, "and he'll be okay—I know it!"  
  
Seto gave her a long look. She had never seen him look so lost. "Thank you," he said at last, and turned away again.  
****  
Yugi, meanwhile, decided that maybe they should investigate Thorton's house. "I hate breaking in like that," he said, shaking his head, "but maybe there's something the police overlooked. We have to do everything possible to wrap this case up, especially now that Mokuba's missing."  
  
The other three boys agreed.  
  
"I suppose we should go over before it gets any later," Bakura said slowly.  
  
"You guys go on," Joey told them, "and I'll catch up to ya shortly."  
  
"Okay, Joey," Yugi agreed, and he, Tristan, and Bakura crossed the street.  
  
"Can I come too?" Bobby asked hopefully.  
  
Joey laughed and shook his head. "Sorry, kid. Not this time. We probably shouldn't be goin' in there and I don't wanna drag you into our 'illegal activities.' Your mom would kick me into next week!"  
  
Bobby grinned at that thought. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he sighed.  
  
Joey paused. "So Bobby, are you excited for Christmas?" he asked finally.  
  
Now Bobby paused. "We probably won't really have one this year," he shrugged, trying to look cheerful. "But I'm sure it'll still be a fun day! I can play in the snow and make a fort!" Joey could see that his younger friend looked sad and he decided to drop the subject, but he was determined to make sure that somehow Bobby and his family would have a Christmas this year.  
  
The blonde boy glanced across the street. "Well, I'd better get over there with the others," he said, "but I'll come back and see you again before we leave," he promised.  
  
Bobby brightened. "Okay! I'll just stay out here and watch you guys through Mr. Thorton's window," he announced.  
  
Joey mocked falling over in fright. "Just don't report us to anyone!" he said, wagging his forefinger at Bobby.  
  
"I won't!" Bobby promised as Joey waved and ran across the street.  
****  
When Seto drove up to the Kaiba Manor, he had the feeling that there was no time to be wasted in finding Mokuba. He knew that his little brother was in grave danger.  
  
Quickly he strode up to the porch and purposefully opened the front door. "Anna?" he called.  
  
The stern-faced maid appeared at the top of the stairs. "Yes, sir?"  
  
"How's Mara doing?" Seto asked.  
  
"She woke up a while ago," Anna replied, "and the poor child's a basket case. She's convinced that Mokuba will die and that everything is her fault."  
  
Seto shook his head and started upstairs. "I'll talk to her. Meanwhile, Anna, you call the neighbors and find out if any of them saw anything."  
  
Anna nodded. "Will do, sir."  
  
Seto knocked softly on Mara's door. "Who's there?" the girl called from inside, sniffling.  
  
"It's me, kid," Seto replied. "Can I come in?"  
  
"Uh huh." Mara's voice was barely audible.  
  
Seto opened the door and walked in. Mara was curled up on her bed, clutching a pillow tightly. "Are you alright, Mara?" he asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed.  
  
"No!" Mara wailed. "I should've stopped Mokuba. I can't protect anyone I care about!!" She looked up, her face tear-streaked. "I couldn't stop my daddy from disappearing, and I couldn't save my mommy either!! . . . And now I couldn't save Mokuba!"  
  
Seto's heart melted. Gently he took the girl into his arms. "It's alright, kid," he said softly. "It's not your fault. None of this was your fault. When your parents disappeared, you were an innocent bystander. You couldn't help what happened to them. And with Mokuba, he wanted to help you escape. He was willing to go in your place. And once he'd made up his mind, there is nothing you could have done to stop him."  
  
Mara looked up at him. "But what if we can't find them? Or . . . or worse, what if we do and . . . and it's too late?" she cried.  
  
"It won't be too late, kid, I promise you," Seto told her firmly. Some of those fears were crowding into his own mind, but he had to stay strong for Mara. But even as he thought this, horrible images sprang to his mind, almost as if someone else had just planted them there. The men who'd taken Mokuba were evil. Once they realized he didn't have what they wanted, there was nothing to stop them from torturing Mokuba or even . . .  
  
No!! Seto cried. I'll rescue Mokuba! I have to! But still those horrible images plagued him.  
  
He tried to return to the present. "Mara," he said softly, "earlier you seemed very upset when I mentioned calling the police. Can you tell me why?"  
  
Mara shook her head.  
  
Seto looked into her eyes. "Please, Mara. It might help us find your parents and Mokuba." He paused. "Was a police officer involved in their disappearance?"  
  
Mara blinked in surprise and slowly nodded.  
  
"Can you tell me about it?" Seto asked.  
  
Mara hesitated for another moment, but finally agreed, and then Seto heard the heart-breaking story of what exactly had happened to the little girl during the time she was wandering the streets.  
  
"I was all alone and cold," she told him shakily, "and I didn't know how I was going to find Mommy and Daddy. Then this policeman came and found me on the street. I told him what had happened and he took me back to his home with him. He said that he would help me find my parents, but nothing ever seemed to happen. I kept asking him when we'd find them and he said he was working on it.  
  
"He often had these secret meetings with people," she went on, "and he always said it was secret police business. I was never allowed to listen in on them, but . . . but one day I was walking past his closed office and I couldn't help but hear. . . ." Mara paused, shuddering.  
  
"What did you hear, kid?" Seto prompted gently.  
  
Mara gulped. "I . . . I heard the man talking to the police officer say, 'So the kid doesn't even suspect a thing?' And then the policeman laughed all mean-like and said, 'No, she would never dream that I'd be involved in the kidnapping of her parents, but they were just getting too nosy.' Then he went on to say . . ." Mara paused again, obviously finding these memories frightening and painful. "'I have that girl wrapped around my little finger. Soon she'll give me the code, thinking she's helping her parents, but she'll really be helping me!'  
  
"They didn't know I'd overheard," the child quavered, "at least not at first. But then I was so scared that I was trying to run away, and . . . I . . . I accidentally broke something."  
  
"And they realized you'd heard," Seto stated quietly.  
  
Mara nodded. "Uh huh. Then the policeman came after me and he chased me down the hall calling me all kinds of awful names! He said if I didn't give him the code right then and there, he'd . . . he'd . . ." She trailed off, sobbing again, but Seto got the general idea. The snake had probably threatened to kill Mara's parents if she didn't comply with his wishes, the boy decided angrily.  
  
"That's when I ran off," Mara said shakily. "I snuck on a bus and rode to Domino City, but as soon as I got off, those awful men started chasing me and . . . and that's when I found you," she finished softly.  
  
Seto held her silently for a long time, outraged thoughts swirling through his mind. How could someone treat an innocent child like that? But of course he knew they could. He himself had been innocent and naive once, but that seemed like an lifetime ago. His innocence had been stolen, but he wasn't going to let the same thing happen to this little girl.  
  
"Mara," he said softly, after another silence, "you know, all police officers aren't bad like that one."  
  
Mara nodded slowly; she understood that. "But . . ." she said finally, struggling to collect her words, "but . . . how do I know which ones are?"  
  
A perplexing question, Seto thought dejectedly. How did one know who they could trust? They couldn't, really. Anyone could turn on them at any time, as Seto had found out many times during his own life. "You can't, kid," he told her sadly, then paused. "But sometimes you just have to have faith."  
  
A strange thought struck him suddenly. After what Mara had gone through with the police officer, how had she felt so completely willing to trust Seto? For all she'd know, he might turn on her as well.  
  
Mara voiced the answer as she looked up at him with her trusting blue eyes. "I think you're right, Mr. Kaiba," she said softly. "When I met you, I didn't know if I could trust you, but I had to hope that you weren't working with those awful men. And then you saved me and were carrying me away, and . . ." She paused. "I felt safe, Mr. Kaiba," she told him. "With that officer, I always had a weird feeling that something wasn't right, but with you I haven't ever felt that. I know you're different than him!" she declared.  
  
Seto was touched by this show of trust from Mara and he vowed not to let her down.  
  
A sharp pain suddenly stabbed the boy in his heart and it was all he could do not to double over. "Seto," he heard a voice say distinctly, "you must find your brother immediately." Seto had known that, of course—but this voice made it all the more urgent.  
  
"Kid, did you hear that?" he demanded.  
  
Mara blinked. "What?"  
  
Seto shook his head. "Never mind." He paused. "Mara, can you tell me anything more about these criminals? Anything, even the most trivial thing could be a vital clue."  
  
Mara paused, thinking hard. "One of the guys started laughing and he said, 'Mr. Del Vinci will be happy about this!' Then the other one called him a moron and said that 'the boss didn't want his name mentioned.'"  
  
Seto started. "Del Vinci?" he repeated. Del Vinci was a Mafia don! This was bad, very bad. And now things were starting to fall into place.  
****  
Mokuba lay on the floor of the walk-in safe, sobbing uncontrollably. The man had whispered dire threats to the boy, detailing exactly what would happen now to Seto and to Mara. "And there is nothing you can do to stop me," he had hissed, again locking Mokuba in the stuffy walk-in safe. "No one will find you in here until it's too late. The air won't last very long, you know."  
  
And so the boy had lain there, trying hard not to breathe very much so he could conserve the air as long as he possibly could, but worrying more about his brother and Mara than himself. He wanted more than anything to warn them of the danger, but he didn't know how.  
  
He felt his eyelids grow heavy and he knew he was running out of air. He coughed and struggled to hold on. "Please, God, please send someone to watch out for Seto and Mara!" he prayed, feeling the blanket of oblivion trying to settle over him. He fought it with all the strength he had left. I can't go to sleep, he told himself. If I do, I'll never wake up! 


	14. Memories from the Past

"Hey, look at this!" Bakura exclaimed. He and the other boys had been searching in Thorton's house for quite some time and hadn't found anything important yet, but now Bakura was certain he had an important clue.  
  
"What did you find, Bakura?" Yugi asked.  
  
Bakura, who was reading over some old emails that Thorton had dumped in the trash can, held one up. "Listen to this! The sender is Richard Byrnes!"  
  
"Byrnes?!" Joey repeated in disbelief. "What the heck does he want?!"  
  
"Listen!" Bakura held the paper up and read loudly and clearly, "'Thorton, your time is running out. I know you squealed and now you're going to pay!'"  
  
The other boys were silent, staring at each other and then at Bakura. "Oh man!" Tristan exclaimed. "It sounds like blackmail or something!"  
  
"Exactly what I was thinking," Yami Yugi said grimly, appearing in the room. "We need to show this to the police immediately."  
  
"But what the heck would Byrnes be blackmailin' Thorton about?" Joey asked, throwing his hands into the air in frustration.  
  
"Maybe Byrnes is involved in the kidnappings and Thorton found out," Yugi suggested.  
  
"I think you're probably right, Yugi!" Bakura exclaimed, digging deeper into the trash and finding more old emails from Byrnes. "These are all threatening letters," he declared, "and the first one is dated from a few weeks ago . . . I believe around the time when Mara's mother vanished!"  
  
"Whoa," Tristan breathed.  
  
"Thorton must have ran away to hide from Byrnes," Yami Yugi deduced.  
  
Yugi nodded. "Yeah, but what did Byrnes mean when he said that Thorton squealed? I thought that Thorton didn't tell anything to the police."  
  
"Perhaps Byrnes thought he did," Bakura mused, "or maybe it wasn't the police Thorton told. What if. . . ." He paused. "What if it was Maureen he told?"  
  
"Maureen?" Joey said doubtfully.  
  
Bakura nodded. "Or what if Maureen found out by accident, but again, Byrnes thought Thorton had told her? Then both Thorton and Maureen would be in danger!"  
  
"Yeah, that's true," Joey agreed. "And hey, Maureen didn't show up for work today! Maybe she was running off to hide with Thorton!"  
  
"I don't know about that," Yugi said slowly. "Maureen doesn't seem like the type to run and hide. For now let's just call the police about these letters and keep looking for more clues." He paused. "And I'm afraid that we'll need to make another trip to Jim Eiffel Furniture."  
  
Joey groaned. "Oh man!"  
  
"I just thought of something," Bakura said, blinking. "We never did find out who turned that stereo on. Maureen never said that she had. What if it wasn't her?"  
  
"You mean maybe someone else was in there with us?!" Joey gasped. "This is gettin' freaky!"  
  
Yugi nodded as he picked up the phone to call the police. "And I'm afraid that time's running out," he added grimly.  
****  
Seto was down in his computer room, preparing to attempt to hack into Del Vinci's computer system. He had introduced Mara to the plainclothesmen a few minutes ago and she had shakily told them about what she'd heard the men saying. They were sending some officers out to find Del Vinci and question him, but Seto was conducting his own investigation as well. He couldn't just stand idly by. He knew that time was running out for his brother . . . and fast.  
  
"I hear Mokuba's been kidnapped," the computer exclaimed when she'd been booted up.  
  
"That's right," Seto told her, "and we don't have a moment to waste. I want you to hack into Del Vinci's computer and find out what he's up to these days."  
  
"Del Vinci?" the computer gasped. "The Mafia don?"  
  
"Yes. Mara heard Mokuba's kidnappers mention that name." Seto typed a few commands into the keyboard. "And hurry," he ordered. "There's no telling what they might do to my brother!" His eyes narrowed in anger and despair as he was again tormented with horrifying images of Mokuba being tortured.  
  
"You got it!" the computer chirped, and began breaking through the security barriers. "We're in!" she declared moments later.  
  
"Great." Seto stared at Del Vinci's desktop information. "Nothing here," he said in frustration, not that he'd really expected to find something out in plain sight. He clicked on the Windows Explorer icon, bringing up all the documents on the hard drive. One file, curiously labeled "Troublesome People", caught his eye and he clicked on it.  
  
Up came pictures of many different persons. Most of them Seto didn't recognize, but then he caught sight of Mara's mother and a man who was probably her father and he gasped.  
  
"Apparently this file has photos of everyone Del Vinci considers in his way," the computer remarked. "I think you'll find these at the bottom very interesting as well."  
  
Seto scrolled down to the bottom, where the recently-added pictures were. His eyes narrowed upon finding photos of himself, Yugi, and all the others—even Mokuba! "Del Vinci must give these lists out to his henchmen so they know who's on his wanted list!" the boy cried in anger.  
  
"That's right," a cold voice said behind him, and Seto whirled around to find a plainclothesman that he didn't recognize.  
  
"Who are you?" Seto demanded.  
  
"Your executioner," the man hissed, raising his gun.  
****  
Tea, meanwhile, had thanked Mai for her help and had told her the latest of what was going on, at her request.  
  
"Mokuba's been kidnapped?" Mai was horrified. "That's awful!" She looked at Tea pointedly. "I thought you weren't going to get involved in any more mysteries."  
  
"We weren't," Tea sighed, shaking her head. "This one just kind of . . . crept up on us."  
  
Mai went over and picked up a stray animal from the floor. She looked at it, blinking suspiciously.  
  
"What's wrong, Mai?" Tea asked, confused. "It's just an ordinary teddy bear."  
  
Mai shook her head. "Actually, it's not so ordinary, hon," she replied. "Look at this eye." She held the bear up for Tea to look at. "Don't they make stuffed animals' eyes out of plastic these days?"  
  
Tea came closer. "You're right, Mai," she exclaimed, touching the eye. "This feels like glass!"  
  
"It's not glass either." Mai took hold of the eye and pulled it out. "It's a diamond."  
  
"What?!" Tea stared in disbelief.  
  
"I think we may have just uncovered a jewel-smuggling ring," Mai mused.  
****  
Meanwhile, Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Bakura had called Gabrielle. She had come out to investigate, taken the emails as evidence, and then had gone through the rest of the house with a group of officers. Not finding anything more, she decided to see what was happening at Jim Eiffel Furniture.  
  
"Can we come too?" Joey asked.  
  
Gabrielle sighed. "It could be dangerous," she objected.  
  
"Hey, this whole case is dangerous," Joey shrugged. "We've come through it this far, and now we've gotta help catch the bad guys!"  
  
Gabrielle crossed her arms. "Alright. You may come with us," she relented. "But you must be careful."  
  
"Hey, aren't we always?" Joey grinned, just as he nearly fell through the laundry shoot.  
  
"Always," Tristan said, rolling his eyes.  
****  
When they arrived at Jim Eiffel Furniture, there didn't seem to be anyone around.  
  
"Man, how do they even get any customers?" Tristan remarked.  
  
Gabrielle went straight to Byrnes' office with her fellow officers and knocked on the door. "Mr. Byrnes! It's the police. Open up!"  
  
There was no answer, and Gabrielle ordered two policemen to break the door in. "Stand back," she told the teens, who reluctantly complied.  
  
When the door was thrown open, the officers rushed in and looked around. No one was in sight, but Byrnes' desk was bare and the file with the pictures was gone.  
  
"Man, he's skipped!" Joey cried in irritation.  
  
"Not for long," Gabrielle growled, pulling out her cell phone.  
  
"Come on," Tristan directed the other boys, "let's look around for clues."  
  
Yugi nodded. "We'll split up and look around," he said, and he and Joey peeked into the office again. "Can we help in here?" Yugi asked.  
  
"Sure," Gabrielle said, gesturing around, "but don't disturb anything."  
****  
"Man, this place is huge!" Tristan remarked.  
  
"It certainly is," Bakura agreed. He blinked, bending down to look at something strange on the floor. "What on earth . . ."  
  
Tristan, who was busy opening up cabinets and looking for possible clues, started in surprise at Bakura's sudden exclamation. "Bakura? What'd you find?" Not receiving an answer, he turned around. "Bakura? . . . Hey, where are you?!"  
  
Bakura was gone!  
****  
Mokuba was feeling light-headed. He had been in the safe for hours, and he didn't know how much longer he could hold out.  
  
He was remembering old times playing with Seto . . . times in the orphanage, when the other kids would be so mean and Seto would be defending his brother. . . . One time, some of the major bullies had ganged up on Mokuba and had started beating him just for fun. Mokuba had screamed for Seto, and then suddenly his brother had been there, ready to take on every one of the tough kids. He had punched, kicked, and hit all of them, and had taken quite a few hits himself. Mokuba had been terrified that Seto would get hurt terribly, and indeed, his brother had taken quite a beating, even though he had come out on top. He had sent every one of those bullies running in fear and then he had helped Mokuba to his feet.  
  
"Oh big brother! You're hurt!" Mokuba had cried, seeing that Seto was bleeding.  
  
Seto had smiled down at him. "I'm fine, kid. I couldn't let you get hurt." Then he had collapsed to the ground and passed out. Mokuba had only been four or five at the time, and he had been certain that his brother had died.  
  
Mokuba shuddered now, remembering the horror of the moment. As he sank deeper into this strange state that was almost between life and death, the ghosts of the past seemed almost real.  
  
The nurses at the orphanage had taken Seto's battered body and carried him into the infirmary. Every time Mokuba had tried to ask if his brother was alive, he had been brushed off abruptly, but finally they had allowed him in to see Seto.  
  
The older boy had been laid on a bed, his body covered in bandages soaked red with blood. The nurses had said he was sleeping, but Mokuba hadn't been sure. Fearfully he had climbed up next to Seto and had taken his hand. "Seto," he had sobbed, "I love you, big brother!"  
  
Seto had opened his eyes then and smiled. "And I love you, kid," he had rasped.  
  
"Thank you for saving me, big brother," Mokuba had said, his eyes shining.  
  
"I'll always be there for you, Mokuba," Seto had replied, squeezing his brother's hand.  
  
In the present, Mokuba's eyes filled with tears. "Seto, where are you now, big brother?" he wailed. "I need you, Seto!" It was getting harder and more painful to breathe now, and Mokuba knew he couldn't stay awake much longer.  
****  
Back in the furniture store, everyone was combing the area for Bakura. No one could find the silver-haired boy anywhere and they were all very worried.  
  
"How did Bakura disappear?" Yugi asked.  
  
Tristan shook his head. "I don't know. He was just suddenly gone!"  
  
"I knew you kids shouldn't have come," Gabrielle sighed.  
****  
Joey, meanwhile, was looking through the bedroom section when something caught his eye. Curiously he went over to one of the display beds, blinking in confusion.  
  
"Bakura?" he said in disbelief.  
  
The missing boy was laying in the bed, asleep! 


	15. Kasumi

Notes: What happens to Bakura is not original. I took it from a Nancy Drew book! ^_~  
  
  
Joey couldn't believe it. "Hey, Bakura, wake up!" he said, grabbing the other boy's shoulder. Bakura didn't respond. Joey gulped. He had thought that Bakura was asleep, but what if . . .?  
  
"Hey, I found Bakura!!" Joey yelled, feeling a bit panicky. "He's asleep in the bed!"  
****  
Seto stared stonily at the murderous-looking man, his eyes narrowed. "I don't die easily," he said coldly.  
  
"You will this time," the assassin replied. "I'll actually do the job right, unlike that incompetent my boss hired before."  
  
"I don't think so." Seto shoved the chair at the man and dove for the door.  
  
The chair stunned the hitman only briefly and soon he had jumped up and was shooting at the teenager, who dodged behind the globe in the library.  
  
Seto was angry, very angry. He was tired of being shot at, but maybe if he could catch this guy he would find out where Mokuba was. Looking at the globe, he got an idea.  
  
The hitman ran out into the library, looking around angrily for his elusive target. Suddenly Seto appeared out of nowhere, sending the globe rolling towards his attacker like a bowling ball. Before the man could dodge it, he had been knocked to the floor and the gun went spinning out of his hand. Seto grabbed and pointed the revolver at him, glaring him down.  
  
"Now," the boy began, seething inside but outwardly appearing emotionless and cold, "tell me—where is my brother?"  
  
The hitman's eyes narrowed. "What makes you think I know?"  
  
"If you were hired by Del Vinci, you should know," Seto growled at him.  
  
"I wasn't hired by him," the hitman said defiantly. "I was hired by Richard Byrnes."  
  
Seto raised an eyebrow. "Something seems a little fishy. Why are you so eager to tell me it was Byrnes?"  
  
"'Cause you're stickin' that gun in my face!" the hitman shot back.  
  
Seto wasn't sure he bought this. "If you're lying to me, you're going to regret it," he hissed. "And you never did say whether you know where my brother is or not."  
  
"I don't know," the man insisted.  
  
"Tell me someone who does!" Seto ordered, keeping the gun pointed at him.  
  
"The Hydra would know," the man whined.  
  
"And where is the Hydra?" Seto demanded.  
  
"Probably out workin' for Del Vinci," the man told him. "Now, please, will you get that gun away?!"  
  
Before Seto could answer, the real plainclothesmen burst through the doors. "Is everything alright down here?" the first one demanded.  
  
"I caught someone in here trying to kill me," Seto replied angrily. "Have those officers got to Del Vinci's place yet?" he demanded.  
  
"Yes, sir," the policeman answered, "but they haven't found anything or anyone. Del Vinci's cleared out."  
  
Seto's eyes narrowed. "I'm going out there. They might have left some clues to my brother's whereabouts."  
  
"Sir, are you sure that's wise?" the other one asked, pulling the hitman up and handcuffing him.  
  
"Del Vinci took my brother," Seto replied stonily as he headed for the door, "and I won't rest until Mokuba's back with me!" He glared at the hitman. "Did you know Del Vinci was clearing out?" he demanded.  
  
"No," the hitman said, vigorously shaking his head. "He never told me any such thing!"  
  
Seto looked him over, then turned back to the door. "Remember, if you're lying to me, you'll live to regret it."  
****  
Soon everyone had gathered around the display bed, where Bakura was still soundly sleeping . . . at least Joey *hoped* that Bakura was only asleep.  
  
"Why in the world would Bakura just conk out there?!" Tristan exclaimed. "I was talking to him and he'd discovered something, but then he was just gone! I kinda doubt that he'd suddenly decide to come here for a nap!" the hazel-eyed boy added, folding his arms.  
  
"He wouldn't," Yugi replied grimly, having summoned his Yami.  
  
At that moment, Bakura stirred and sat up. "Oh, hello," he said, blinking at the others.  
  
"Bakura! What the heck were you doin'?!" Joey demanded.  
  
The silver-haired boy looked at his surroundings in utter confusion. "I . . . I don't know," he gasped. He paused, looking upset and sickened suddenly.  
  
"What is it?" Yugi asked worriedly.  
  
Bakura grabbed his neck and rubbed at it. "Someone grabbed me around my neck with the crook of a cane," he exclaimed, "and I'm afraid I fell unconscious."  
  
Joey stared at him in disbelief. "You mean like in the movies when someone sang a song they didn't like and they'd pull 'em offstage?!"  
  
"Why . . . yes," Bakura said in surprise, wincing at the memory of feeling like he was being choked.  
  
Just then Tea came running in. "Hey, I thought I saw you guys in here!" she declared. "What's up? I came over because I saw the police come in here. . . ." She stopped short. "Why are you up in that bed, Bakura?!" she exclaimed.  
  
Bakura explained again, and Tea was horrified. Then it was her turn to tell about what had happened with her and Mai, and the other girl's deduction on the plushies' eyes.  
  
"Diamonds, huh?" Gabrielle mused. "I'll go check it out."  
  
Bakura climbed out of the bed. "Let's all go," he suggested. "There's not much point in staying here, and I think I've had quite enough of this store," he added.  
  
Some of the police officers stayed behind to continue looking for clues, but the teens started walking, promising to come back if the officers found anything or anyone who might need to be identified.  
  
"What was it you found on the floor, Bakura?" Tristan asked.  
  
Bakura paused, trying to remember. "It . . . it seemed to be a cameo pin, like the one Maureen wore," he said at last. "I went to pick it up when I was . . . pulled away," he finished finally, looking down. Tea laid a hand on his shoulder gently.  
  
"I wonder what that means," the girl mused. "Is Maureen guilty or is she a innocent victim?"  
  
That was something no one could answer.  
****  
Mokuba gasped, his little body racked with painful coughs. He could hardly breathe now, and he knew that he wasn't likely to make it. How would Seto even find him? He had heard that man talking to his henchmen, and now the boy knew that this wasn't that man's home; it was the home of his associate, Richard Byrnes—whoever that was.  
  
"Seto," he choked, "please come, big brother!" He knew nothing would stop Seto from finding him if he possibly could, but Mokuba was running out of time . . . fast.  
****  
Seto was driving the limo himself and speeding through the city. He had an extreme sense of foreboding and knew that he had to find Mokuba immediately. He knew that it wasn't likely that Mokuba was somewhere in Del Vinci's house—at least not anymore—but maybe he would find something or someone there who could tell him. Surely if Mokuba was in the house, the police would've found him . . . wouldn't they?  
  
Suddenly Seto had to swerve the limo wildly to the left to avoid hitting a reindeer. Before he could stop it, the limo slammed into a tree and he was thrown forward against the wheel.  
  
Yugi, across the street at the toy store, looked out the window and gasped. "Isn't that Kaiba's limo?!" he cried.  
  
Joey and Tristan, who were listening to Gabrielle's confirming that the plushie eyes were diamonds and examining the stuffed toys in disbelief, looked up. "Huh?"  
  
"The limo that just crashed—it's Kaiba's!" Yugi exclaimed.  
  
"Oh my!" Bakura was alarmed.  
  
Quickly the teens rushed outside and over to the limo. "Kaiba?" Yugi called, banging on the window. Not getting an answer, Yugi yanked the door open and grabbed Seto's body. "Kaiba! Wake up!" He pulled the other boy's limp form out of the limo. "Kaiba, you must wake up," Yugi told him.  
  
"Is he hurt bad?" Tea asked worriedly.  
  
Yugi shook his head. "I don't know."  
****  
Seto heard their voices vaguely, but he couldn't seem to make himself come back. He found himself on his hands and knees with darkness all around him. "Mokuba! Where are you?" he called frantically.  
  
"Your brother is not here," a soft voice replied.  
  
Seto looked up. "Kasumi?"  
  
The little angel appeared and nodded. Her expression was kind, as always, but there was an underlying sadness in her eyes and smile.  
  
"Where is my brother?" Seto demanded, standing up.  
  
Kasumi paused. "He is in a dark, gloomy prison and he does not have much time or air left," she told him.  
  
Seto paled. "Why aren't you with him?" he cried. "He needs someone with him until I can find him!"  
  
"But someone is with him," Kasumi said softly. "No one is alone."  
  
"Can't you tell me where he is?" Seto pleaded.  
  
"He is not far," Kasumi replied, reaching up to touch the boy's shoulders gently. "Now, Seto, you must go back. God will help you on your quest." Was it Seto's imagination, or had he seen a tear slip down the girl's cheek?  
  
He had no time to ponder on that, however, because then he found himself starting to regain consciousness.  
  
"Kaiba, are you alright?" he heard Yugi ask.  
  
When Seto opened his eyes he discovered that he was laying on the couch in Mr. Thorton's office. "What am I doing here?" he demanded.  
  
"You crashed your limo, man," Joey said, shaking his head. "You should've let your chauffeur drive."  
  
"Are you insinuating that I don't know how to drive, Wheeler?" Seto sat up, rubbing his forehead. He had been driving perfectly fine; there wasn't anything else he could have done in the situation.  
  
"Are you really alright, Kaiba?" Tea asked.  
  
"Tea thought we should call an ambulance," Yugi told him.  
  
"It's good that you didn't." Seto stood up and headed for the door. "I don't have time for such nonsense. Mokuba's life is at stake!"  
  
"But how're you even gonna find him?" Joey asked.  
  
"I have a lead." Seto turned to go, still puzzling over Kasumi's words in his mind. A dark, gloomy prison without much air. . . . His gaze fell on the vault in the corner and he gasped. Would someone really be so wicked as to . . .  
  
Yes, they would, Seto realized grimly. He didn't have any time to waste. If Mokuba was locked in a vault, he had probably been there for hours already. What if his brother was . . . No! No, he couldn't think like that. He couldn't!  
  
Wild thoughts swirled through his mind and suddenly the boy strode to the safe and pulled on the door. It was unlocked, and it swung open easily.  
  
"What the heck are you doin'?!" Joey asked, completely baffled.  
  
Seto ignored him, staring into the vault. He hadn't *really* thought that Mokuba would be in there, but he felt that he would have to check in every walk-in safe he found. Finding nothing, he turned and walked silently out the door.  
  
"That was kinda freaky," Joey said loudly, breaking the ensuing silence.  
  
"We have to help him find Mokuba," Tea declared.  
  
"Yeah, but how?" Tristan shook his head. "I'm sure he has a better idea of where to look than we do."  
  
Yugi stared ahead thoughtfully. "We need to find Maureen," he said at last. "I sense that she can tell us much."  
  
Suddenly a loud crash came from the storage room. Someone was in there, and it wasn't the police.  
****  
Mokuba was fading now. The only thing he could think of was curling up for a nice nap. It was so warm and cozy. . . . Surely it wouldn't hurt if he just closed his eyes.  
  
"You must stay awake, little Mokuba."  
  
Mokuba blinked. Who had spoken?  
  
Gentle arms enfolded and held him close. "Your brother will come," the soft voice whispered.  
  
Mokuba snuggled up next to this person. His mind was so fogged at this point that he didn't even stop to wonder how anyone had gotten in. Perhaps she was another prisoner that he hadn't noticed before. "Seto," he said softly.  
  
"Yes, Mokuba," the voice told him. "Seto will come."  
  
Mokuba's eyes felt heavy, but he tried to keep them open. He could barely breathe. Kasumi knew that the little boy couldn't last much longer. 


	16. Bayville Falls

Notes: Be prepared with Kleenex.  
  
  
Joey positioned himself at the door into the storage room, ready for action. "Who wants a beatin'?!" he yelled, bursting in and looking around.  
  
Suddenly he was tackled from behind and thrown to the floor. "Hey!!" the boy screamed indignantly.  
  
"Joey's in trouble!" Tristan exclaimed.  
  
"As always," Tea added with a sigh as they all ran into the backroom.  
  
Joey was sprawled flat on the floor while a figure in a ski mask stood over him, their foot on his back. "Hey, let me up!!" the boy cried in frustration.  
  
Slowly his attacker backed off and helped him stand up.  
  
"Who are you?" Yugi demanded, stepping forward. "Reveal yourself!"  
  
The mystery person pulled the mask off and black curls flew every which way.  
  
"Maureen!" Tea cried in disbelief.  
  
"It's me," the woman sighed in resignation.  
  
"Where the heck do you get off tossin' people all around?!" Joey demanded. "And why are you wearin' a ski mask?!"  
  
"You're one of the jewel smugglers, aren't you?" Yugi said evenly, the third eye glowing on his forehead. "You came here now to get some more jewels and you disguised yourself."  
  
Maureen looked shocked. "Well . . . yes," she admitted finally.  
  
"And I suppose you're mixed up in the kidnappings too, huh?" Joey said suspiciously, glaring at her.  
  
Maureen glared back. "Of course not! I'm not some kind of a monster! The only thing I did was steal the stuffed animals with the diamond eyes before anyone could buy them and then I pretended that there was shoplifting going on." She paused. "And I rigged up those animals so they'd attack and fixed those other 'accidents' . . . but I made sure that no one got hurt!" she added quickly. "I never did anything to hurt anyone!"  
  
"I'm so sure," Joey said, rolling his eyes. "I bet you chloroformed Bakura 'cause he was gettin' too close to the truth!"  
  
"No, I didn't," Maureen insisted. "And I didn't have anything to do with that guy who threw your friend off the balcony!" she added fiercely.  
  
"Yug, do you believe her?" Joey asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
Yugi was silent. "I have no reason not to," he said at last. "We cannot prove that Maureen hurt anyone, so she deserves the benefit of the doubt."  
  
Maureen smiled, then grew serious. "I'm not involved, but I *can* tell you some of what's been going on," she said. She went to confirm that, yes, Byrnes had been blackmailing Thorton because the guy had stumbled onto too many secrets and that Thorton had now gone into hiding to get away. "I know where he is, but I can't tell you," she said.  
  
"Do you know where Mokuba is?" Tea asked hopefully.  
  
Maureen blinked. "Mokuba?" she repeated.  
  
"Kaiba's younger brother," Bakura prompted. "He was abducted earlier by wicked men and we're afraid he's in grave danger."  
  
Maureen shook her head. "Sorry, I don't know where he is." She paused. "But I can tell you that Byrnes is awfully ticked at Kaiba. He found out about Mara and doesn't want Kaiba to find the girl's parents."  
  
"How do you know all this?" Tristan asked, intrigued.  
  
Maureen shook her head. "You don't need to know that, but I can assure you that I'm not the bad guy here." She paused. "Okay, so I was smuggling jewels," she grumped. "But I think that's the least of our worries right now."  
  
Yugi had to admit that she was right. Maureen was a criminal, but they needed her help.  
  
"I don't know the whole story," Maureen admitted, "but I know that Byrnes is dangerous. He probably knows where Mokuba is." Here she paused. "But frankly, I wouldn't hold out much hope to find the kid alive."  
  
The teens gasped.  
  
"But Mokuba *has* to be alive!" Tea wailed.  
  
At that moment Gabrielle, who had been out front collecting all the suspicious plushies, came back to see what the commotion was. She didn't seem surprised to see Maureen, but she was disturbed to learn that the other woman was one of the jewel smugglers.  
  
"We'll deal with you later," the policewoman said sternly. "Right now, if you can tell us anything that might help us find Mokuba, and also Mara's parents, I'll see what I can do about getting your sentence reduced."  
  
Maureen nodded and paused, thinking. "Well, I don't think Byrnes is the only one," she said finally. "I think he's working with a partner."  
  
"Does the name Del Vinci mean anything to you?" Gabrielle demanded.  
  
Maureen looked puzzled. "No. I've never heard of the guy!" she exclaimed.  
  
"Del Vinci?" Joey gasped. "Ain't he some local crime boss?"  
  
"That's right," Gabrielle agreed. "We sent some officers out to his house earlier, but they couldn't find anything. The man had completely cleared out." She paused. "I believe your friend was going out there to see if he could find any clues that we might have missed."  
  
"Kaiba went out to Del Vinci's place?!" Yugi gasped.  
  
"Well, what're we waitin' for?!" Joey cried, punching the air. "Let's all head out there!!"  
  
"What about Byrnes?" Tea asked as they walked out of the store. "Shouldn't someone be investigating his house?"  
  
Gabrielle nodded. "Unfortunately, we're having difficulties finding out where he lives," she reported. "The address he's giving out is that of a vacant lot."  
  
Tea shook her head in disbelief. This was terrible! It was all such a nightmare. Please, she prayed, help us find Mokuba! Of course she wanted to find Mara's parents too, but Mokuba was just a little kid and there was no telling what those terrible men might have done to him.  
****  
Seto found Del Vinci's house and discovered that the police were still milling around. He went up to the nearest officer frantically. "Have you found anything?" he asked pleadingly.  
  
"I'm sorry, sir," the officer replied, shaking his head.  
  
Seto paused. He had to ask this next question, but he dreaded it. "Is . . . is there a vault in there?" he asked.  
  
The officer gave him a long look. "I believe so, Mr. Kaiba," he said finally.  
  
"Has anyone looked in it yet?" Seto demanded.  
  
"I'm sure we have, sir," the officer said, but Seto disappeared into the house and went looking for the vault anyway. When he found it, the door was already open and nothing was inside . . . at least, nothing that wasn't supposed to be in there. Seto turned away. In one way he was relieved, but he knew he couldn't relax. Mokuba was still trapped somewhere else, and every second counted.  
  
Feeling desperate, Seto searched through everything on the desk and in the filing cabinet. Nothing. Del Vinci had taken great pains to ensure that there wouldn't be any interference.  
  
Seto sank to the floor, feelings of hopelessness threatening to overtake him. He couldn't fail! His brother was counting on him! He had always been there for Mokuba in the past, but . . . but what if now he couldn't save him?  
  
The boy looked up, determined, trying to push those thoughts out of his mind. He couldn't allow himself to think such things.  
  
Suddenly he noticed a slip of paper on the floor and reached to take it.  
  
"Vinci—  
They brought the kid, but it's the wrong one.  
He's carrying some info, but it's probably fake.  
Come immediately to Bayville Falls.  
—Byrnes"  
  
Bayville Falls! That was a ritzy town about twenty-five miles away. And Byrnes! Seto had always suspected the man of being involved somehow, and then of course that hitman today had said he was working for him. This note made Seto wonder if the man had really been telling the truth about not knowing where Mokuba was. He would go to the jail and confront him. He couldn't just go to Bayville Falls without some idea of where Byrnes lived, not when Mokuba might be dying. He couldn't afford to go on a wild goose chase.  
  
Note in hand, Seto went out and found the nearest officer. "Were you investigating the den?" he demanded.  
  
"Yes, Mr. Kaiba," the officer confirmed. "We didn't find a thing."  
  
"You didn't, huh?" Seto waved the note in the policeman's face. "Would you like to explain how you missed this?"  
  
The officer stared at the note in disbelief. "That wasn't there before, sir," he declared. "I would have seen it!"  
  
Seto didn't have time to argue. He went to his limo, preparing to drive to the police station, when several more police cars drove up. Yugi and the others got out of one of them and ran over. "Kaiba!" Yugi called.  
  
"Have you had any luck?" Tea asked.  
  
Seto nodded. "A new lead. I have to go follow it."  
  
"We're comin' too!" Joey said boldly. "We've been workin' on this mystery and we don't intend to give it up!"  
  
Again Seto didn't bother to argue. He climbed into the driver's seat and then the others climbed in the back and they rode off.  
****  
"You wanna know where Byrnes lives?"  
  
Seto gave the convicted hitman a Look. "I do. And think about this—if you don't tell me, I'll consider you an accessory to murder!" he said forcefully. "My brother will die if I don't find him immediately!"  
  
The hitman shrugged. "You'll find Byrnes' place under the silent watcher and around the incessant babbler," he said cryptically.  
  
Seto was not amused. "What?? I don't have time for this nonsense!!" He got up next to the glass, fuming.  
  
"It's a riddle. Figure it out." The hitman grinned, enjoying Seto's frustration.  
  
Seto couldn't believe this. Quickly he ran the riddle through his mind. He had only been to Bayville Falls a couple of times, but he remembered a mountain overlooking some of the homes and a river that wound around some of them. Could those be the "silent watcher" and the "incessant babbler"? There was nothing he could do but go see. It was obvious this man had said all he was going to.  
****  
Mokuba lay in the girl's arms, gasping. He couldn't breathe anymore. There was no air left. He knew he couldn't last any longer, but he didn't blame Seto at all. He knew his brother had tried his best. If . . . if either of us has to die, Mokuba thought, I'm . . . I'm glad it's me, and . . . and not you, Seto. He clutched the locket with his brother's picture tightly. I . . . I love you, Seto! He felt his eyelids close.  
  
Kasumi was horrified. "No! No, little Mokuba!" She held the boy's innocent little body in her arms, feeling him going limp. "No!" Tears sprang to her eyes. 


	17. In Byrnes' House

Seto brought the limo to an abrupt, sudden halt, sending all of his passengers pitching forward and startling them.  
  
"Kaiba! What the heck's wrong with you?!" Joey blurted out in anger as he was knocked hard against the inside of the door. "You're a maniac!"  
  
"Joey!" Tea scolded. "He's hurting. Don't you realize that?"  
  
Kaiba wasn't even listening to any of them. He had heard Mokuba's sweet voice in his mind, and then had felt a sharp pain—more pronounced this time. "Mokuba," he whispered, tears in his eyes. "Mokuba, no!"  
  
Joey was subdued. "Kaiba . . . hey, I'm sorry, man," he said softly. "But hey, we'll find Mokuba," he tried to say.  
  
Seto shook his head. He didn't even know if Mokuba was alive anymore. The feeling that his brother might be dead was more insistent.  
  
"Kaiba, you need a break," Joey said kindly. "Why don't you let me drive?"  
  
Seto snapped back to reality. "No. No, I can drive," he asserted, starting the engine again. "Mokuba, please don't be dead!" he whispered, sending a heartfelt plea up to Heaven.  
****  
As it turned out, once they got to Bayville Falls, Byrnes' house was easy to find—but it wasn't going to be as easy to get in.  
  
Joey groaned, observing all the guards, the electricity-charged fence, and the other numerous alarms. "How the heck are we gonna get inside?!"  
  
Seto was wondering this himself, but then he spotted a large van pulling up to the gate and pausing for it to open. "Through there," he ordered. Without waiting to hear protests, he got out of the limo and crept over. His brother's life was at stake, and there was no way he was going to miss this chance at getting in where Mokuba was most likely being held prisoner.  
  
Soon the others joined him and Seto silently opened the back door.  
  
As they climbed in, the teens heard someone around front say, "Didn't you close that door?!"  
  
Seto, who was the last one in, quickly pulled the door shut behind him.  
  
"Yeah, I closed it," a second voice replied. "See? It's shut!"  
  
After a bit of muttering from the first guy, the van started moving forward and onto the grounds.  
  
"What's in these crates?" Tea wondered, curiously lifting the lid of one. She gasped at the sight of many crystal-like gems. "More diamonds!" she cried.  
  
"Diamonds?!" Joey gasped. "Again?!"  
  
After examining some more crates, the teens concluded that every one of them was full of diamonds—making one more puzzling twist. This seemed too coincidental to not be related to the other mystery. Had Maureen—who had been taken into custody by Gabrielle—been telling the whole truth about things earlier, or was she really working with Byrnes and Del Vinci?  
  
Seto, of course, couldn't care less about the diamonds. All he wanted was to find Mokuba before it was too late . . . if it wasn't already.  
  
The van stopped and Seto and Yugi looked out through the window in the door.  
  
"Those men will be coming to get these crates," Yugi remarked.  
  
"Be ready to clobber them," Seto directed, his eyes narrowed.  
  
Sure enough, before long the two men came over and proceeded to open the doors. Instantly Seto, Yugi, Joey, and Tristan struck out at them, delivering knockout punches.  
  
After pulling the men up into the van, the teens all climbed out and headed for the front door of the mansion. "When we get inside, we should all split up," Seto decided. The whole group would be noticed instantly, but individually or paired off they'd have a better chance of staying hidden.  
  
There didn't seem to be anyone guarding the door, and the seven teens made it through easily. Yami Yugi appeared in his separate form, and everyone split into groups of two.  
  
No one noticed the little form darting in after them.  
****  
"Man, the whole state's Mafia must be here!" Joey cried in frustration, staring at all the dark-suited men walking down the halls.  
  
"Chill," Tristan said, rolling his eyes. "It's probably just Byrnes' and Del Vinci's goons."  
  
"And that's not bad?!" Joey exclaimed.  
  
"Just lay low and keep calm and we should be fine," Tristan replied, dragging Joey down another corridor. "And keep a lookout for any sign of Mokuba and that girl's parents."  
  
"How about a lookout for them?!" Joey said suddenly, pointing to a couple of hitmen who had just taken notice of them.  
  
"Hey!! Come back here, you two!!" one of them screamed angrily.  
  
"Run for it!!" Tristan yelled, freaking out. He and Joey dashed down the hall.  
****  
Bakura led Mai down through the large dining room, glancing around furtively.  
  
"If Byrnes has prisoners in here, I'm sure he wouldn't leave them in plain sight," Mai remarked sardonically.  
  
"He wouldn't," Bakura agreed. "I'm trying to find the entrance to the basement!"  
  
"So'm I," their little stalker agreed fervently, leaning forward and accidentally knocking an apple off the table.  
  
The two teens whirled around. "Oh my! What was that?" Bakura gasped.  
  
"Probably nothing," Mai shrugged when they couldn't see anything, but she was, admittedy, a bit nervous. She had the feeling that they were being followed, as did Bakura. "Let's try over here," Mai suggested now, opening the door leading into the drawing room. Bakura followed, realizing that they'd just barely avoided being spotted by two hitmen patrolling the hall.  
****  
Yugi had found a secret tunnel and was wandering down through it with his Yami.  
  
"Yugi, be careful," Yami Yugi warned. "I sense approaching danger."  
  
Suddenly several violent-looking men appeared in front of them. "I don't remember lettin' you two in here," one growled.  
  
"And why not?" Yami Yugi said evenly. "Surely you can't have a remembrance of everyone your boss invites."  
  
"Wait just a minute," a second one sneered. "I think I've seen your mugs before—on Del Vinci's wanted list!" He raised his gun.  
  
"That's right," the first agreed. "Now I remember that too! Say your prayers!"  
  
Yugi's eyes went wide as every gun was suddenly trained on him and his Yami. How would they ever get out of this?  
****  
Tea ran down the hall alongside Seto. She knew the boy was feeling frantic and she didn't blame him in the least. She felt quite worried herself. What if Mokuba was . . . dead? No, she couldn't think like that!  
  
"Hold it right here, Kaiba!"  
  
Seto stopped, motioning for Tea to do the same.  
  
"You're at the top of our boss's wanted list," an assassin said, smirking. "You and your girlfriend! So I think I'll just let the both of you die together!"  
  
"She is *not* my girlfriend," Seto growled, "but you're not going to get rid of either of us!"  
  
"I'm not?" The man raised his gun. "Just watch me!"  
  
"Kaiba, what are you going to do?" Tea cried.  
  
"This." Seto kicked out and knocked a huge crystal statue into the assassin's path. "Run for it, Tea!" he ordered, following after her quickly.  
  
Tea had been running for some time when she realized that Seto was no longer with her, and she stopped dead in her tracks. Where was he? Had he been shot? Looking back down the hall, Tea couldn't see anything, and she knew she hadn't heard a gun go off. "Kaiba? Where are you?" she called, but didn't receive an answer. She took off running again, knowing that she had to find him and the others.  
  
Suddenly a sneering figure appeared in front of her. "Tea, my sweet," he said, his eyes lighting up evilly. "I meet you at last!"  
  
Tea gasped, backing up. There was nowhere to run. What would she do?  
****  
Seto found himself in the den. He didn't know where Tea had gone, but he hoped she was safe. Looking around the room, he noticed a vault in the corner. Was Mokuba inside?  
  
After locking himself in the room, Seto ran over and pulled on the vault's door. It was locked. "Mokuba, are you in there?" he called frantically, and didn't receive an answer.  
  
Seto felt sick. How would he get in? "Please," he prayed, "if Mokuba is in there, help me get to him!"  
  
He looked around the room for anything that looked like the combination numbers, but he didn't have any success and he knew he was wasting valuable time.  
  
Try unlocking it.  
  
Seto paused, blinking. There was no one around; who had said that?  
  
Seto, try unlocking it.  
  
There it was again, more forcefully this time. And Seto knew that it was his only hope.  
  
He leaned up against the safe and slowly turned the tumbler. Click. Was that the first one? Seto thought it was. He concentrated hard. He had to get Mokuba out of there! Click. The second one.  
  
Again he turned the knob slowly. This time he didn't hear a click. What if he couldn't get this opened? No, he couldn't doubt himself now. He tried again. The third click.  
  
Mokuba, please hang in there! Seto said silently. The final click. Seto backed away and again took hold of the handle. This time the door swung open. Seto didn't know how long it had taken him to get the safe unlocked, but it seemed like an eternity. He stared into the darkness. "Mokuba! Mokuba, are you in here?"  
  
At first he didn't see anything, but as Seto walked into the vault and looked around he caught sight of what he had prayed many a time to never have to see—his brother's small body laying on the floor, motionless. Seto's heart caught in his throat.  
  
"No! No!" He rushed forward and dropped to his knees, gathering Mokuba's innocent little form in his arms. "Please, God, no!"  
  
Mokuba lay silent and still, a bluish cast to his face. In his hand he tightly clutched his locket.  
  
Seto brushed the bangs out of the little boy's closed eyes. "Mokuba," he said, his voice cracking, "I'm here, little brother! I . . . I came for you!"  
  
Mokuba didn't move, his small body remaining limp and lifeless. Seto could see he wasn't breathing.  
  
"No," the older boy cried. He laid Mokuba on the floor and bent over him. This couldn't be happening! Mokuba was so innocent . . . so good . . . so self-sacrificing. He couldn't be dead! He didn't deserve this! Frantically Seto performed artificial respiration, trying to revive his brother, but he didn't get a response.  
  
Again Seto took the younger boy into his arms. He had hardly ever cried, but the tears fell freely now. He had failed his brother. He was too late. Mokuba was dead. 


	18. Reunion

Notes: More Kleenex! Oh, and no, I didn't have all these latest chapters typed up before hand. I was writing like crazy all weekend! ^_~  
  
  
The wicked man advanced on Tea, and the terrified girl let out a scream. "Who are you? What do you want?!" she demanded.  
  
"I've been watching you for a long time," the man replied, "and I want you!" He started to raise a hand to stroke her cheek. "I've waited so long for this day!"  
  
"Well, you'll have to wait a lot longer, because you can't have me!" Tea said fiercely, grabbing a vase and throwing it. It missed the man, but it gave her enough time to make a frantic escape. Terrified, she fled down the hall.  
****  
Yami Yugi stared at the assassins calmly, and then the Millennium Puzzle started to glow.  
  
"What the heck's happening?!" one of them gasped, his gun hand shaking.  
  
"You have committed many horrible acts!" Yugi said sternly.  
  
Yami Yugi nodded. "And now it's time you all were taught a lesson." He shot his hand out. "Mind crush!"  
  
All of the hitmen screamed and collapsed to the floor. Yami Yugi looked them over and turned to go. "They'll be alright in a few hours," he stated. "Hopefully then they will want to reconsider their line of work."  
  
Yugi nodded, and the two hurried on. "I hope the others are okay!" he said fervently.  
****  
Joey and Tristan were running the hall frantically, trying to escape the hitmen who had spotted them. As they rounded a corner, they suddenly rammed into Bakura and Mai, and everyone fell to the floor.  
  
"Are you all alright?" Bakura asked, blinking in surprise and looking at his friends on the floor.  
  
"If we've lost those weirdos, then yeah, we're fine," Joey said, standing up.  
  
"Well, I don't see anyone," Mai remarked, "but someone's been following us, too."  
  
"And that must be them!" Tristan cried, seeing movement behind a nearby curtain. Instantly the boy sprang up and grabbed the mysterious spy.  
  
"Let me go!" a familiar voice wailed.  
  
"Mara?" Bakura gasped.  
  
Tristan emerged from the drapes, holding a squirming Mara in his arms.  
  
"Alright, kid, what the heck are you doin'?!" Joey demanded.  
  
"I had to come," Mara sobbed. "I had to help! I've gotta find Mokuba and Mommy and Daddy!"  
  
Tristan let her go. "But how did you get here?!"  
  
Bakura chuckled. "You stowed away in Seto Kaiba's limo again, didn't you?"  
  
Mara looked sheepish. "Well . . . yeah. I just hid in the trunk and no one ever saw me. Then when you guys got here, I climbed the tree over the fence and dropped down into the yard."  
  
Mai smiled. "You're a sneaky little thing," she declared.  
  
"You'd best come with us now," Bakura said. "No more sneaking around!"  
  
Mara nodded agreeably and they set out again.  
  
After a while, they came to the back of the house . . . and encountered more hitmen.   
  
Tristan was appalled. "Man, these guys are everywhere! Quick!" he yelled, opening a door that turned out to lead to a staircase. "In here!"  
  
Everyone dove in and Tristan slammed the door shut just as the hitmen tried to enter. The group thundered down the stairs and looked around. Another confusing array of rooms stood before them.  
  
"Mommy!" Mara called. "Daddy! Mokuba! Where are you??!"  
  
"Let's start checkin' every room," Joey suggested. "There don't seem to be any goons down here."  
  
He had no sooner spoken when two nasty-looking men rounded the corner. "Well, well. Look what just waltzed in," one of them sneered. "More of those pesky teens—and they've brought the kid we wanted right to us!"  
  
Mara clung to Bakura in terror, while at the same time screaming at the assassins. "You awful people took my mommy and daddy and Mokuba, too! You're not gonna get away with any more!!"  
  
"The kid's got spunk," the other man declared.  
  
"Kill the others and get the information from her," the first one ordered.  
  
"Got any bright ideas?" Joey gulped as the guns were trained on him and the others.  
  
"Nope," Tristan said, shaking his head.  
  
"Oh boy." Joey's eyes widened in fright. "We're all gonna die!!"  
****  
Tea was still running. She could hear the twisted man chasing after her still. What was she going to do? If he caught her again, she was sure she wouldn't be able to get away.  
  
Looking ahead, she spotted an open door and rushed in. "It's the library," she realized, seeing the shelves and shelves of books. Frantically she shut the door and propped a chair up under it, then turned to look around. She hoped she wouldn't have to stay in there for ages.  
  
Curiously she wandered over to the fireplace to examine the intricate carvings on the mantle. She started to trace one of them with her finger, and without warning the entire wall moved, sending her flying into another room.  
  
She got up slowly, looking around. It seemed to be some kind of an office, and in the corner was a safe. Tea gasped at the sight and quickly rushed over to look in.  
  
Seto was kneeling on the floor of the vault. He seemed to be cradling something in his arms. Was it . . .? Horrified, Tea slowly went in and knelt beside him. "Kaiba?" she said softly, touching his shoulder.  
  
Seto barely acknowledged her. "I couldn't save him," he said, his voice shaking. "I've failed him." He held Mokuba's body close. "He's dead because I couldn't find him in time!"  
  
Tea was aghast. Mokuba was really . . . gone? No, that couldn't be!   
  
Seto could sense what she was thinking. "He's dead," he said again, "because of me."  
  
Tea's heart broke. She had never seen Seto so vulnerable and lost. "Kaiba, it wasn't your fault," she told him gently. "You did your best. You did everything you could to find him. There is nothing more you could have done."  
  
Seto shook his head, a tear escaping down his cheek. He wouldn't be able to make Tea understand. It *was* his fault, and he knew it. If he had only been able to collect the clues faster. . . . If only he had gotten here sooner . . . if only he had left extra security guards around when he'd left that morning. . . . So many "if onlys." But they would never bring Mokuba back. Nothing would.  
  
He recalled the time several years ago now when he had rescued Mokuba from the bullies at the orphanage. "I'll always be there for you, Mokuba," Seto had said. But now he hadn't been there for his brother and Mokuba was dead!  
  
The old clock in the hall chimed midnight. Strangely, Seto found the words of an old Christmas carol coming into his mind.  
  
I heard the bells on Christmas Day,  
Their old, familiar carols play,  
And wild and sweet the words repeat  
Of peace on earth, good will to men  
  
It wasn't Christmas yet, but Seto remembered how Mokuba had always loved the holiday—and that carol. Now he would never celebrate the season again.  
  
Seto looked down at his brother again and saw how tightly his fingers were wrapped around the locket. He realized that when he had heard his brother's voice in the limo that must have been when Mokuba was dying. The boy's last thoughts had been of his brother.  
  
I thought how, as the day had come,  
The belfries of all Christendom  
Had rolled along th'unbroken song  
Of peace on earth, good will to men  
  
What peace on earth? What good will to men? Mokuba was dead! There would be no peace for Seto—never again.  
  
How could anyone kill a little boy, and in such a cruel way? Seto's grief was turning to anger. How could anyone be so abominably wicked?! One thing was certain—he would make sure that Byrnes and whoever else was responsible would suffer for what they did.  
  
And in despair I bowed my head  
"There is no peace on earth," I said,  
"For hate is strong and mocks the song  
Of peace on earth, good will to men."  
  
Seto remembered what Kasumi had said when he had met her earlier. "God will help you on your quest." Why hadn't He kept Mokuba alive? Why had Seto been led here to find his brother when all hope was lost? It didn't make sense. Hadn't God been listening?  
  
A stray tear splashed on Mokuba's closed eyes. "Little brother," Seto whispered, "forgive me! I couldn't save you. I am so sorry. . . ." He laid his cheek against Mokuba's little head. "I love you, Mokuba. I always will."  
  
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep,  
God is not dead nor doth he sleep!  
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail  
With peace on earth, good will to men!  
  
Unseen by him or Tea was Kasumi. The angel girl knelt next to Seto and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Seto," she whispered, "you did not fail your brother. You got here just in time."  
  
Seto heard the voice but again saw no one. What did she mean, "he had gotten there just in time"? Mokuba was dead, and it was his fault!  
  
Suddenly Seto felt a vague movement against his chest. He froze, not daring to believe. Then he felt it again. Was it possible that . . .  
  
Seto looked down. "Mokuba?" he whispered.  
  
The little boy visibly stirred and then his eyes opened slowly. "Seto . . . I love you too, big brother!" he managed to say, smiling weakly.  
  
Seto's heart swelled. It was a miracle! "Oh Mokuba!" He embraced his brother tightly. "I thought I'd lost you!" Inwardly he was saying a prayer of thanksgiving over and over again. Mokuba had been restored to life!  
  
"Seto . . . I knew you'd come!" Mokuba whispered, hugging his brother back weakly. "I knew you would!"  
  
Tea's eyes were shining. Seto had forgotten that she was there, but she had seen everything, and she, too, was sending a joyous prayer of gratitude up to Heaven.  
  
Still unseen by them was Kasumi, and she smiled serenely. Mokuba had been so far gone that she hadn't been able to bring him back, but his beloved brother had been able to. "Merry Christmas to you all!" she called as she vanished.  
  
"Did you hear something?" Tea asked, startled, but Seto and Mokuba were too wrapped up in their moment of reunion to answer. 


	19. Final Fight

"Guys, it's been nice knowin' you," Tristan said grimly as the villains prepared to fire.  
  
"Same here, bud," Joey replied with a nervous nod.  
  
"Good heavens!" Bakura exclaimed. "Where's Mara?!"  
  
"Eh?" The hitmen lowered their guns, staring. Mara had, indeed, vanished. "Oh well. We want her alive, anyway," one of the assassins said after a moment of reflection.  
  
"You bad men aren't gonna kill my friends!" a familiar voice yelled, and suddenly heavy crates clunked on the assassins' heads. Groaning, they slumped to the floor and Mara appeared from behind a control panel, holding a rope. "Are you guys okay?" she asked worriedly.  
  
Joey let out a sigh of relief. "Yeah, kid—thanks to you!"  
  
"Yes!" Bakura agreed emphatically. "You saved us all!"  
  
Smiling, Mara dropped the rope and ran off down the hall. "We've gotta find Mommy, Daddy, and Mokuba!" she cried.  
  
"Man, I hope they're okay," Joey whispered.  
****  
Seto gently kissed Mokuba on the forehead. "He's asleep," he told Tea softly, just enjoying watching his brother's steady breathing and knowing that the younger boy was alive.  
  
Tea smiled. "I'm so glad he's alright," she said earnestly. She had seen a very different side to the normally cold Seto Kaiba tonight. She wasn't comfortable with the circumstances in which she had seen how vulnerable he could be, but she was touched by his kindness toward his brother and knew that the boy was a lot different than she had originally thought.  
  
The panel in the wall opened suddenly and Yugi and his Yami fell in.  
  
Tea looked up, startled, then brightened. "Hey you guys!" she said, waving.  
  
Yugi smiled. "Hi, Tea!" He looked over worriedly at Seto, who was standing up with Mokuba in his arms. "Kaiba, is Mokuba . . .?"  
  
"He's alright," Seto replied, not wanting to elaborate. As far as he was concerned, only he and Tea would know the details of what had transpired.  
  
"That's a relief," Yugi declared.  
  
Yami Yugi nodded in agreement. "We should go look for the others," he stated. "They might be in grave danger."  
  
Seto nodded. Now that he had found his brother, he also had to find Mara's parents. He had promised her that he would, and he didn't intend to break that promise. "Let's go," he said determinedly.  
****  
"Mommy!" Mara screamed, looking in every room without success. "Daddy! Where are you? Mokuba! Answer me! Please!" she wailed.  
  
"They might not be here," Mai said in an undertone.  
  
"I know," Joey nodded. "Or maybe they are, but they're . . ."  
  
Bakura shook his head warningly. He knew it was a possibility, but he didn't want Mara to hear. She was already worried enough about that without Joey and Mai feeding her fears.  
  
They came to the end of the long hall without finding any sign of the missing persons. "Now what?" Tristan wondered.  
  
"They've gotta be here!" Mara wailed. "We can't leave until we leave them!"  
  
"We won't," Bakura assured her.  
  
"Actually . . ." A panel opened and a sneering older man with an evil glint in his eyes stepped out. "They are all dead and soon you all will be joining them!"  
  
The teens gasped and Mara shrieked. "No! I don't believe you!"  
  
"Sadly, little girl, it's true." The man smirked, grabbing Mara and wrenching the locket away from her. "And now I have the information they all died for!"  
  
"I don't think so, Del Vinci!"  
  
Everyone looked up. Seto, Tea, and Yugi (who had merged with his Yami) were standing there. In Seto's arms he held Mokuba's little body.  
  
Mara screamed. "Ishedeadishedeadishedead?!"  
  
"I'm afraid so," Del Vinci said flatly.  
  
"No, he's not!" Seto retorted fiercely. "Your treacherous scheme failed!"  
  
Del Vinci blinked. "Poor boy. He's in denial," he said, waving his hand dismissively.  
  
Mokuba stirred and blinked. "I'm not dead, you creep!" he yelled as loud as he could, which wasn't very loud since he was still quite weak.  
  
"Mokuba!" Mara and the teens with her cried in delight.  
  
"What you tried to do was really messed up!" Mokuba cried, and Seto nodded in agreement.  
  
"You almost killed my brother," the older boy said in a low tone.  
  
"He should have died," Del Vinci said, his eyes narrowing. "But no matter. I will just kill you all!"  
  
With that many more assassins came out of every room in the basement.  
  
"Man . . . is anyone else feelin' deja vu here?!" Joey said in frustration.  
  
Seto gave Mokuba to Tea. "Don't let anything happen to him," he ordered, turning to face his opponents.  
  
What followed was an all-out wild battle. Guns went off left and right as the frenzy escalated. Tea, unsure of what to do but knowing she had to keep Mokuba safe, ducked down and tried to make her way to the control panel Mara had been using. Maybe she would be able to find something there to help win the fight!  
  
Mara, was, at that moment, fighting Del Vinci and trying to get her locket back. "Mommy entrusted that to me!" she cried. "You aren't supposed to have it!"  
  
Del Vinci was not impressed. "It's mine now, just as it should have been weeks ago," he replied.  
  
"I don't think so!" Seto growled, grabbing Del Vinci's arm and twisting it viciously. "Run, Mara!" he called, and the terrified girl snatched her locket and disappeared into the melee.  
  
"After her!" Del Vinci screamed, struggling with Seto. "And get rid of Kaiba!!"  
  
One of the assassins turned and fired his gun right at the blue-eyed boy. With a cry of pain, Seto's grip on the Mafia don loosened and he sank to the floor.  
  
"Big brother!!" Mokuba shrieked.  
  
Tea was horrified as well, but she tried to keep Mokuba calm as she darted around the others and found the control panel. "I'm sure he'll be alright," she whispered to the boy comfortingly.  
  
Del Vinci sneered at Seto's limp form and turned to run after Mara. Suddenly Seto sprang to life, grabbing the man viciously. "I was only grazed on my arm," he growled. "Your men couldn't shoot me properly if they were standing right next to me!"  
  
Del Vinci's eyes narrowed in anger. "They were right about you, Seto Kaiba," he admitted grudgingly. "You don't die easily."  
  
Joey, meantime, was fighting his own battle. He grappled with the hitman for the gun, which went off at the control panel and short-circuited it.  
  
Tea backed away as sparks flew. "Well, that plan's out," she said, shaking her head.  
  
"Try pulling that rope up there," Mokuba suggested.  
  
Tea looked up and blinked. "Well, I guess in a case like this it couldn't hurt," she admitted, giving the rope a tug.  
  
Instantly more crates rained down, striking the assassins and sending them to the floor. The teens had to dodge the falling wooden boxes so they wouldn't get hit as well.  
  
Del Vinci screamed as he was thrown to the floor. Seto picked up a nearby fallen gun and pointed it right at him before he could get up. "Don't move," the boy hissed.  
  
Del Vinci's eyes widened. "You wouldn't!" he exclaimed nervously.  
  
Seto held the gun steady. "You nearly killed my brother. I should shoot you right now for what you did to that innocent kid. But . . ." He grabbed Del Vinci and restrained his wrists while still keeping the revolver in one hand. "If I did, I'd be no better than you—killing out of hate."  
  
Del Vinci breathed a sigh of relief, then suddenly whirled around and grabbed for the gun. "You really should have killed me, Seto Kaiba," he smirked. "Now I *will* get rid of you!"  
  
Seto wrenched his arm free and fired all of the gun's remaining bullets into the ceiling before Del Vinci could stop him. "Save it. No one's going to kill anybody. Your days of carrying out atrocious plans are over," he said coldly. He restrained the man again and tied his hands.  
  
The assassins were now all on the floor, dazed from the crates and being restrained by the teens. Suddenly the panel in the wall opened again and two people stepped out, wearing ski masks and carrying guns.  
  
"What now?!" Joey cried.  
  
One of them removed their mask, revealing a man Seto had remembered seeing on Del Vinci's wanted list on the computer. "Good work, kids," he congratulated, looking over the subdued criminals.  
  
"Daddy!!" Mara cried in delight, leaping up from where she'd been hiding behind the control panel.  
  
"Mara!" the man smiled, taking the girl into his arms.  
  
The other person took their mask off as well, revealing the mysterious woman from the photos. "Oh Mara, you're safe!" she exclaimed. "We were so worried!!"  
  
"Mommy!!" Mara's eyes were shining.  
  
The teens watched this reunion happily. Their new mystery had come to a close, and everyone had survived!  
  
Now that Seto had got Del Vinci captured, he went across the room and took Mokuba from Tea, holding the younger boy tenderly. "Are you okay, kid?" he asked.  
  
Mokuba nodded. "I'm fine, Seto." He gasped. "Oh Seto, you're hurt!" he cried in alarm, seeing the hole in his brother's trenchcoat and the blood running down his arm.  
  
Seto blinked. He had forgotten about his injury. "It's nothing, kid," he reassured Mokuba. "Just a scratch."  
  
Seto now walked over to the reunited family and looked at them in satisfaction. "Your daughter has been looking for you," he said, "and even coming along when she shouldn't," he added, looking at Mara suspiciously. He had a pretty good idea of how the girl had gotten to the mansion.  
  
Mara blushed and ducked her head. "I'm sorry, Mr. Kaiba," she said, "but I couldn't stay behind!"  
  
"You're the young man who has been taking care of our Mara?" the father said, studying Seto.  
  
The boy nodded. "I am."  
  
"We can't thank you enough," the mother said softly.  
  
Joey grinned. "Well, it looks like another happy ending!" He paused, blinking. "But there's still a whole bunch of questions that need answerin'!" he declared, and the other teens nodded in agreement.  
  
Mara's parents nodded as well. "We'll explain everything," her father assured them. 


	20. Epilogue

Notes: Wow, another mystery all wrapped up!! Thanx so much to everyone who's reviewed, and I hope y'all will stick around, 'cause I have another story all ready to start!! ^_^  
  
  
Epilogue  
  
The snow fell lightly over Domino City, creating a perfect Christmas atmosphere. At the game shop, everyone had gathered in Yugi's living room with a cup of hot chocolate. It was two days after Del Vinci, Byrnes, and their assassins had all been arrested, and Mara's parents—the Harrisons—were ready to close up the gaps in the mystery.  
  
"I was investigating into Del Vinci's latest scheme," Detective Harrison began, "which involved international jewel smuggling. I was just starting to get a good lead when his goons attempted to kill me."  
  
"That's horrible!" Tea cried.  
  
Detective Harrison nodded. "I managed to escape, but I had to go into hiding," he continued. "I couldn't even let my family know that I was alright, because any communication would put them in danger." He paused. "But then Louisa was abducted," he said grimly.  
  
"I was being held at Del Vinci's home originally," Mrs. Harrison said, "but when they cleared out I was moved to Byrnes' home. They were using me to get at Sam!  
  
"I had a feeling that something would happen to me and so I gave the paper with the code to Mara on the train," she continued. "I suppose it was too much of a responsibility for one so young . . ."  
  
"No, Mommy!" Mara spoke up from where she was playing Monster Capsule with Mokuba. "I was happy to help!"  
  
Mrs. Harrison smiled. "And you couldn't have done a better job."  
  
"What is that code thing, anyway?" Joey asked, blinking.  
  
"Is it some cool spy stuff?" Bobby added eagerly. He and Annie had been invited and their mother had given them permission to attend.  
  
"That, I'm afraid, is top secret," Detective Harrison smiled, ruffling Bobby's hair. "But it was—and is—very important to the case." He went on to explain how he had broken into Byrnes' house and freed his wife. From there they had overpowered some of the assassins and taken their guns.  
  
"But how does Maureen come in?" Tea wondered curiously.  
  
"She wasn't involved any more than she said," Gabrielle spoke up. "She was a courier, taking the diamonds and sending them on to Byrnes at the furniture store."  
  
"That's right," Seto agreed with a nod.  
  
"But who was that weird guy who threw you off the balcony?" Tristan asked. "That happened before you even found Mara and got Del Vinci upset!"  
  
"That's true," Seto agreed, looking angry at the memory. "Apparently he was someone sent to check up on things and make sure Maureen was doing what she was supposed to. He tampered with the balcony and then threw me into it just to cause trouble."  
  
"That's terrible!" Yugi said, shaking his head.  
  
"Well, at least we're all safe now," Bakura smiled.  
  
"Oh, by the way, Bakura," Joey spoke up, "who the heck grabbed you with that cane?!"  
  
Bakura blinked. "I still don't know," he admitted, "but it was the Hydra who chloroformed me earlier. He was getting a shipment of diamonds to take and he didn't want me to see." He shuddered.  
  
"He was also the one who had the freaky obsession with Tea," Tristan said.  
  
Tea made a face. "Don't remind me!" she cried.  
  
Mai tossed her head. "Well, I'm just glad everything's over," she stated. "Maybe the rest of our Christmas season can be normal."  
  
"I can't believe all of this was going on right under my nose!" Mr. Thorton cried. He had been hiding up at a cabin in the mountains that Maureen owned, but since his enemies were in prison, he had come out of hiding again. He was doing everything he could to get Maureen's sentence reduced since she had been trying to protect him from Byrnes.  
  
"What's gonna happen to Maureen, anyway?" Joey asked now.  
  
Gabrielle smiled. "I am thinking the judge will sentence her to community service and a fine. She gave us some great leads and helped us a lot." She couldn't say it aloud, but Maureen had been their secret informant, and had helped even more than the teens realized.  
  
"I'll hire her back, just as long as she gives up the smuggling!" Mr. Thorton declared.  
  
Everyone laughed.  
****  
Later on that evening, Joey chatted with Bobby. "Did you have fun, kid?" he asked.  
  
Bobby grinned. "I sure did!" he said. "And guess what!"  
  
"Someone left us an envelope with money!" Annie squealed, coming over to them. "Mommy says there's enough to have a real Christmas!"  
  
"Hey, that's great!" Joey smiled. "I wonder who would've done that." He had talked to Yugi and the others about things and they had all pitched in and donated some money to help out.  
  
"Yeah!" Bobby exclaimed. "It's another mystery!"  
  
"Whoever it was sure is nice!" Annie beamed.  
****  
Tea was talking to Yugi on the couch. "I can't believe we wound up involved in another mystery," she said with a shudder.  
  
Yugi smiled. "Well, everything worked out okay, Tea," he reassured her.  
  
"I know," Tea agreed, "but things could have worked out differently." She paused. "I know there's nothing else we could've done, because we had to help poor Mara out, but . . ." She shook her head. "I really hope this is our last case!" she declared.  
  
"You and me both!" Yugi exclaimed.  
  
"Yugi." Yami Yugi had came out from the kitchen and was looking at the boy with a funny sort of smile. "We have a bit of a crisis out there."  
  
"What's happening, Yami?" Yugi asked, looking concerned.  
  
"Well . . ." Yami Yugi paused as a crash was heard in the kitchen. "Bakura's Yami found the eggnog your grandfather bought and . . ."  
  
Yugi groaned. "Oh no," he said, getting up off the couch. "Grampa was going to take it back and get some without liquor in it!" He quickly followed his Yami into the kitchen.  
  
Joey had to chuckle. "Poor Bakura," he remarked, seeing the silver-haired boy also frantically dashing into the other room.  
  
Tea shook her head and sighed. It was better than running from criminals bent on murder, she supposed.  
  
"Hello."  
  
Tea looked up to see Seto standing in front of her. She blinked in surprise. "Um, hi," she said finally.  
  
Seto sat down next to her. "I never had a chance to thank you for keeping Mokuba safe the other night," he said. "I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to him. Mokuba means everything to me."  
  
Tea nodded. "I know," she said softly. "Is he doing better now?"  
  
Seto glanced at his brother, who was still playing with Mara, and Bobby and Annie as well. "Much better. He recovered quickly from his experience. And the chances are good that Del Vinci will be sentenced to life in prison without any hope of parole for what he did." The boy said this with a certain amount of satisfaction.  
  
"He deserves it!" Tea said fiercely. She sat in silence with Seto for a while, and then she said quietly, "Kaiba, you did the right thing—not killing him."  
  
Seto didn't answer, but then he nodded slowly.  
  
"How are you doing?" Tea asked now, remembering that Seto had been shot the other night.  
  
Seto looked vaguely irritated at the question, but it passed. "I'm fine," he said at last. "I told you, the bullet only grazed me as it flew by." Tea had noticed, however, that Seto wasn't using his left arm as much as he usually did, but she decided to keep quiet about that.  
  
"Hey, I've got an idea!" Joey exclaimed suddenly with a grin. "Why don't we all sing Christmas carols?"  
  
"No one wants to listen to your caterwauling, Joey," Tristan said teasingly.  
  
"Hey!! My singing voice is fine!" Joey said defensively. "At least it's a heck of a lot better than his!" He indicated Yami Bakura, who was crooning Jingle Bells all off-key.  
  
"You do have a point there, Wheeler," Seto smirked. He declined the invitation to sing with them, as did Mr. Thorton and Yami Yugi.  
  
The others, however, gathered around the piano and began to sing Silent Night. Now that everyone was alive and well and back together, they knew it would be a wonderful Christmas season. 


End file.
